As someone who has spent well over six figures trying to fix my back, I want to share my journey—what I’ve tried, what didn’t help, and what ultimately changed my life.
It all started when I was 18. That’s when the back pain began, right around the same time I got serious about working out. Looking back, it’s clear I was doing a lot of things wrong in the gym. But at the time, I didn’t know better—I just wanted to lift heavier and get bigger. When the pain flared up, I went to chiropractors, which gave me temporary relief. I never thought to change my workouts or habits. I just kept pushing.
By my late twenties, things got worse. My back would go out to the point where I was curled up on the couch or bed for days. I literally couldn’t walk—I’d crawl on my hands and knees just to get to the bathroom.
In my early thirties, these episodes were happening every 3 to 4 months. Thankfully, I work from home as a mortgage broker, so I could still function—barely—on my laptop while lying down. But there were times I was at the office and had to get help just to make it to my car.
That’s when I began my mission to fix my back.
I started seeing every kind of chiropractor you can imagine. Some had me sign up for 3- to 6-month programs, visiting multiple times per week, doing various exercises. While some of it helped a little, nothing gave me lasting results. My back would still go out, again and again.
Despite the setbacks, I never stopped working out. I’d rest for a week after an episode, then slowly return to the gym—starting with walking on the treadmill, easing into weights. But even on my best days, there was always some pain and tightness. Every. Single. Day.
After trying about a dozen different chiropractic programs and seeing no permanent change, I started researching more deeply and asking around. I was open to trying anything.
Along the way, I discovered I had mercury toxicity, which completely wiped out my energy levels. I don’t know if it played a role in the inflammation, but after a thorough detox, my back issues still persisted.
I cleaned up my diet—eating all organic, avoiding inflammatory foods, and doing regular detoxes. I tried mud packing, essential oils, physical therapy, acupuncture, cupping, yoga, Pilates, meditation, Qigong, energy healing, spiritual healers, Dr. Sarno’s book Healing Back Pain, 7-day fasting, a 4-month Candida detox… I even went to a Chinese witch doctor who waved some sort of bat or stick over me (yes, really). Nothing stuck.
I did ozone therapy, a round of 7 IV injections, mostly to target Epstein-Barr, but it fried my veins. My doctor hit a vein in my left bicep and I lost it for good.
I kept incorporating physical therapy exercises into my gym routine, hoping it would help long-term. But by my early 40s, things got worse. A couple of snowboard crashes wrecked my hip, and one time I got dropped out of the sky while skydiving—15 to 20 feet straight down when the wind collapsed my chute. I never stopped living life, and it caught up with me.
Then my worst fear happened—my back went out and never recovered. I couldn’t stand up straight. One leg was literally pulled higher than the other. This lasted for over a year and a half. I still went to the gym, but I could barely do anything.
Eventually, I found a body mechanics expert in Santa Monica who helped. I saw him once a week and did his daily exercises religiously. It was the only thing that got me standing somewhat upright in the mornings. After six months, though, even he admitted it wasn’t enough.
He recommended stem cell therapy, something I had researched for over a decade. I was referred to a doctor in Santa Monica who put me under and injected my discs with mesenchymal stem cells from my bone marrow. When I woke up, I was in excruciating pain. I could barely get to my car. I spent the next 3–4 weeks recovering in bed.
At week six, I went in for a PRP booster shot. A week later, I could finally stand and walk normally again. I got a second booster a month later. This made a huge difference, but I was still in pain—especially when sitting for more than five minutes.
I tried prolozone injections, prescribed supplements, PEMF therapy… none of it did much. One doctor used a blood-suction cupping device for a year—again, maybe minor improvement. Then I tried spinal decompression therapy for a year. It helped, but not as much as I’d hoped.
Eventually, I went for another round of stem cells. This time, they used a mix of umbilical cord cells and my own bone marrow. I was awake this time while they hammered into my hip to extract the marrow – that’s pretty wild… Afterward, I did notice some improvement over time.
Then I found the Knees Over Toes guy. I started at the very bottom of his program, and over time, I made massive progress. This has truly been a game changer.
While doing that, I kept researching. I’d developed severe TMJ over the years, which can throw off spinal alignment. I started working with a TMJ specialist in Oakland, flying up monthly for a couple of years. As of 2025, I still go every six months. I’m not sure how much it helped my back, but the TMJ needed fixing regardless.
About two years ago, I added cold plunging to my routine—and that’s been another game changer. When inflammation flares up, I’ll do cold plunges for a few days and it calms down fast.
Today, I still follow the Knees Over Toes method, incorporate functional strength and mobility work into my lifting, cold plunge multiple times a week, avoid lifting super heavy and keeping the running to a minimum. I focus on flexibility, strength, and control—especially in the legs and lower back.
I’ve also been using peptides and TRT for over a year. My back hasn’t gone out like it used to in over two years. Does it still ache? Absolutely. But the pain is manageable, and for the first time in decades, it’s no longer the central focus of my life. I keep getting stronger, and my goal is to one day live completely pain-free. I truly feel like I’m getting closer.
In conclusion, the biggest game changers in my journey have been:
- Stem cells with PRP boosters
- Decompression Therapy
- Knees Over Toes training
- Cold plunging
If I could go back and do it all over again in my twenties, I’d focus on functional training, mix it with proper weightlifting, take the right supplements, cold plunge regularly, and eat an anti-inflammatory, clean diet.
MRIs:
2003 diagnosed with degernative disc disease. received epidural injections and prescribed to work with physical therapist.
4mm paracentral protrusion in midline at L5-S1
3-5mm at L3-4
2008 L3 to S1 MRI reports 1-2mm sized protrusions. with mild degeneration on facet joints
2018
L2-3: Disc desiccation with moderate disc height loss and minimal anterior endplate osteophytic ridging. 2 mm broad-based central disc protrusion with accompanying posterior to subarticular minimal endplate osteophytic ridging. Resultant mild effacement upon the ventral subaraclmoid space, however no significant central spinal canal or neural foraminal stenos is. Mild bilaterat facet joint fluid and mild right-sided facet ar1faopathy.
L3-4: Disc desiccation with primarily left-sided moderate to advanced disc height loss, circumferential endplate osseous ridging and extensive degenerative endplate marrow signal changes. 3 mm slightly leftward eccentric diffuse disc bulge with accompanying circumferential endplate osseous ridging most pronounced extending into the left neural foramen. Resultant mild effacement upon the ventral subaraclmoid space, left lateral recess and mild left neural foraminal stenos is. No significant central spinal canal or right neural foraminal stenosis. Mild bilateral facet artlu-opathy, primarily right-sided.
L4-5: Disc desiccation, moderate disc height loss, anterior endplate osteophytic ridging and minimal degenerative endplate ma11’ow signal changes. 1 mm diffuse disc bulge with accompanying right greater than moderatelyextensive foraminal endplate osteophytic ridging with accompanying mild bilateral facet arthropathy. Resultant mild bilateral lateral recess stenosis and mild neural foraminal stenosis. No significant central spinal canal stenos is.
L5-S1: Disc desiccation with moderate disc height loss, circumferential enclplate osteophytic ridging and degenerative enclplate marrow signal changes. 2 mm diffuse disc bulge with accompanying circumferential endplate osseous ridging. Resultant mild effacement of both lateral recesses and mild bilateral neural foraminal stenos is given foraminal endplate osteophytic ridging and mild facet artlu·opathy. No significant central spinal canal stenosis. Ivlikl osseous ridging of the anterosuperior sacroiliac joints. There is no atrophy of the spinae erector muscles. The remainder of the visualized prevertebral and paravertebral soft tissues are unremarkable. Several subcentimeter T2 hyperintense structures involving the liver, which may represent cysts versus hemangiomas. Several renal T2 hyperintense lesions are noted in the c01tices bilaterally, statistically likely cysts.
