From 10+ Surgeries to a 5K: A Journey of Resilience and Recovery
When we talk about recovery, we often think of it as a straight line — injury, treatment, success. But real healing rarely looks like that. It’s filled with starts, stops, detours, and incredible moments of grit. One of our patients — an athletic trainer we’ve had the privilege of working with on and off for years — is a perfect example of what that journey truly looks like.
Anna's been part of The Obstacle Doc family before it was The Obstacle Doc! Since her early teenage years, she worked with Dr. Chris through her teens as she’s faced more than 10 surgeries, each one a new challenge in learning how to move, perform, and trust her body again. After going away for school, she returned to the area in 2023 — and we reconnected that October to start the next phase of her journey.
At that point, she was experiencing significant knee pain and eventually was scheduled to receive PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injections early 2024. After the injections in January and April, our work together started with the fundamentals — rebuilding strength and confidence in functional movements. As an athletic trainer, her job is physically demanding: lifting, kneeling down and getting up off the ground, navigating stairs, and being on her feet for long hours.
To regain comfort in those daily and professional movements, we advanced her training with Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) therapy to enhance strength and endurance while protecting healing tissues. Her progress was steady and intentional — increasing standing tolerance, walking capacity, and independence in movement.
By late summer, she had met nearly every milestone we’d set. That’s when we decided to take on something bigger — a goal she’d been dreaming about for years: running a 5K.
But recovery is never a straight path. In October 2024, just as we were building momentum, she sprained her ankle, setting back months of progress. We worked diligently from October through February to restore stability, mobility, and confidence in her ankle, never losing sight of the bigger picture.
When we were ready to restart running in March, we approached it smartly — with interval training, running two to three days a week, and supplementing with two days a week of strength and manual therapy in the clinic. We focused on balance, gait mechanics, and progressive loading. Week by week, she built up her stamina and trust in her body again.
And last weekend — two years after she first returned to us — she crossed the finish line of her first 5K.
That moment wasn’t just about a race. It was the result of months of consistency, setbacks met with patience, and long-term collaboration between a determined patient and her care team. It represents what we believe in most: care that doesn’t stop when symptoms fade, but grows and adapts as your goals evolve.
Now that she’s hit this milestone, she’s already looking ahead — to bigger, bolder goals. Because when you’ve rebuilt strength this many times, you learn that your potential only grows with every obstacle you overcome.
Her journey is a reminder that healing is not just about getting back to baseline — it’s about discovering what’s possible next.
Ready to take the next step toward your own long-term recovery goals? Whether you’re rebuilding strength after surgery or preparing for your next athletic milestone, our team at The Obstacle Doc can help you move better and live better.
