Never Give Up: My Journey Rehabbing an Injury and Returning to Squash

So, where do I even begin? For the past couple of years, it feels like I've been in a constant battle with my body, going from one injury to the next. It all started with a snowboarding accident that led to a carotid artery dissection. If the artery had completely ripped, I would have died on the hill. But I didn't know that was the source of my massive headaches, face paralysis and trouble eating for several weeks. After the diagnosis, I was told absolutely no exercise for six months. I could barely go on walks. Squash was definitely out.

After that, I was cleared to start some gentle exercise. Being me, I immediately went hiking in the Himalayas. During the trip, I started experiencing numbness in my feet. I thought it was just the shoes. But when I returned, the numbness persisted and spread, and doctors misdiagnosed it as sciatica.

Despite this, I continued training for the World Squash Masters in Amsterdam. I got ridiculously strong. But I also developed Achilles tendinitis so severe that I couldn't walk. Since last August, I've been dealing with this. I tried everything from acupuncture to physical therapy, but nothing seemed to work.

I was feeling defeated, so I planned a holiday. I took six weeks off from squash, hoping it would heal. But even with rest, the Achilles tendonitis lingered. The numbness was still there. The pain was right in my Achilles, making it impossible to move on the court. I even tried wearing boots at night to stretch out my calves, but it only helped a little.

Then, I decided to try a new physical therapist. I went to Triumph Physical Therapy to see Brandon Goulding. After hearing my long saga, he knew what it was right away: a pinched nerve in my back causing weakness in my foot.

The fix? Ten up-dogs every two hours. I do the up-dogs every two hours and have a timer set. I also have to sit at the back of the chair to stretch out my lower back. The location I go to is in Harlem, at 118th and Second.

The result has been incredible. The Achilles tendonitis disappeared almost immediately. After doing ten up dogs for about three days every two hours, it left. I can walk without pain. I even ran across an orange light. I’m cleared to play squash, now, and I’m excited! Besides the up-dogs, there are some other exercises that strengthen once a day. They include:

• Bridge lifts
• Figure four bridge lift
• Ankle raise
• Single leg Romanian deadlifts warrior three
• Single leg squat reverse lunge

Rehabbing an injury is about more than just the physical side of things. Squash is a huge part of my life. When I play, I'm transported to another place, and it brings me incredible joy. Every time I walk into Open Squash, I feel like I'm with people who care about me. It's an incredible feeling. When things are hard, not being able to play makes it even harder.

So, what would I tell someone in my position last August? Never give up. I looked everything up, went to doctors, and had tests. I didn't just go mainstream; I tried everything, acupuncture, the works. There is always an answer. I also think I probably could have avoided the pinched nerve in the Himalayas if I’d continued doing some yoga and light exercise, rather than avoiding exercise completely. But you never know with these things—there’s a lot of “coulda, woulda, shoulda.”

I'm now feeling very good and excited to get back into playing. I hope you can learn from my journey back into squash, and if you’ve been through similar, I’d love to hear from you too.