After diagnosing arthritis to be the leading cause of my back pains, UOA’s Dr. Cook recommended that I attend “Back School” where I would undergo physical therapy to strengthen and stretch my back muscles with exercises that I would learn how to also perform on my own.

My teacher was Lynn Van Ost, a veteran physical therapist whose knowledge of body mechanics proved to be rock solid and most beneficial. After just two treatments, my back began to feel better, albeit slightly, but improvement was evident nonetheless. Any notions that I may have had about “Back School” being a waste of time were quickly dispelled thanks to Lynn. I can now function normally as my discomfort level is almost nonexistent. Occasionally I may feel some pains flare up- as Lynn explained, thus is the nature of arthritis- but at least I now know how to relieve them better the exercises I was taught. Now that I have finished “back school,” I’ve decided to take what I will refer to as UOA’s postgraduate course, with Blake Swan as its instructor. Blake is a strength and conditioning specialist who will act as my personal trainer. He has assessed my physical capacity and is going to tailor my workouts so that they meet my needs and goals. I am eager to start my new fitness program under his guidance.