Throughout my life I have been a
very active individual beginning with dance when I was 4-years-old, and
continuing with gymnastics, cheerleading, intramural sports, snowboarding, and
track, as I grew older. Dancing and other activities were a huge part of my
life where I could express myself and find an outlet for all of my energy. I
became highly involved with dance in my school where I became an assistant
dance teacher for fellow students and joined the dance team. For several years
I also competed in cheerleading that required lots of strength and flexibility.
In combination with the other activities that I took part in, the accumulation
of the stress on my body eventually took its toll.
Toward the end of my sophomore year
of high school, I began to hear clicking in my back and hips as I did V-ups at
the gym. I also began to attend a chiropractor on a monthly, and sometimes
weekly, basis because I had pain that resonated throughout my back and hips. Later
that year, I began to compete in high jump and other track events in order to
keep in shape during the winter months. During this time the pain began to
worsen and I constantly complained about the pain shooting down my legs every
time I landed on the mat.
By this point, I knew something was
wrong with my back: I had always had problems with my spine and neck due to a
birth injury, so I thought it might be a misalignment issue. After attending
the State Championship for high jump, I could not even remove myself from the
car because the pain was so intense. After putting the much-needed appointment
for nearly a year, I went to an orthopedist. The MRI results concluded that I
had fractured my spine and not only was it seriously endangering the stability
of my spine, but the resulting prognosis suggested that there was little chance
it would heal. The injury ended every activity that I had come to hold very
dear in my life. Not only had I talked with several colleges about attending
their schools for high jump, but I was also forced to quit any physically demanding
activity that I enjoyed. In the end, I became a couch potato with little to do
to improve the state of my spine, and little hope for any future healing.
The injury has had a substantial
impact on my life because I am no longer athletic and have the least amount of
motivation to get back in shape. As an accident-prone person to begin with, it
is also difficult to navigate the many activities that could negatively affect
my spine. I have learned that lounging with my feet on the dashboard of a car
will cripple my walking abilities for several hours; I have also learned that
wearing heels will cause my sciatic nerve to become pitched in between my
spinal discs, therefore leading to numbness that resonates throughout my feet.
I do not believe that people realize the significance of spinal injuries and
their effect on the lives of those injured, nor do I believe that people
understand the importance of spinal maintenance and strength. As a result of
this injury, I have become an advocate of attending the doctor’s office, even
if an injury does not appear to be serious. For the past three years, I have
also had more time to focus on schoolwork and other aspects of my life that
were not as important to me before the injury.
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