Matthew McNamara

I'm writing this to share my story about how Brian Goonan at the Spine Therapy Center gave me a second chance. In 2012 at 26 I suffered a lower back injury. What I thought would be a small setback for a few weeks turned into a chronic (and worsening) condition. Fast forward to 2015 and I was in constant severe pain 24/7, could hardly sleep, sit or walk, and could barely make it through the day, It was a challenging time. I received a variety of treatments, but nothing seemed to work and my pain was only increasing on a weekly basis. After a number of failed treatments, a surgeon recommended lumbar fusion, but was open in his lack of confidence that it would help my condition, and in fact thought there was a good chance it would only worsen my symptoms.

As a last option before lumbar fusion, I set up an appointment with the Spine Therapy Center. I didn't know it at the time, but it was the best decision I ever made. Brian is an extraordinarily talented physical therapist. He was able to analyze what was wrong with my back, how to fix it, and he quickly developed a plan and put me to work to. The treatment was unlike anything else I had read about or experienced, and after years of being unable to so much as bend over to tie my shoes, I found myself able to move a bit easier and with less pain. Over the 7 months I saw Brian my pain continued to lessen and my strength and mobility increased. Brian gave me (and his other patients) very individualized care, developing a plan for my specific injury. He would often check in by email on my days off, and would adapt my program depending on what I was feeling and how I was progressing. He genuinely cared about my well-being and it showed.

Today I am almost entirely pain free, exercise 5 days a week, and live a happy and fulfilling life. I am still amazed on a daily basis at how much better my quality of life is compared to a year ago due to my recovery, and I owe it 100% to Brian. My experience at HSS was incredible, and I will always be grateful for the help Brian and the rest of the team at the Spine Therapy Center gave me.