She Deadlifted Over 100 Pounds After Years of Back Pain. Here's How.
- Hannah Breal, PT, DPT
- 5 days ago
- 5 min read
About the Author: Hannah Breal, PT, DPT is the co-owner of Made 2 Move Physical Therapy in Charleston and Charlotte. She helps athletes and active adults rebuild strength, mobility, and confidence so they can move pain-free for life.
Made 2 Move Physical Therapy – Charleston | Daniel Island | Mount Pleasant | Charlotte
I gotta be honest here. I almost completely forgot to write this week's newsletter (oops)
But then at the last minute I was reminded & inspired.
One of our PTs called me to tell me something insane that her patient did yesterday,
and instantly, I realized two things:
oh shoot. I haven't written anything yet, and it's wednesday.
this is what I should write about this week.
Quick Back Story
This patient came to see us in October.
She'd been to PT before, she's a pilates instructor, and she's dealt with on/off back pain for 10 years.
Her pain got so bad a few years ago that she decided to stop doing CrossFit, stop deadlifting, and stop
back squatting - forever. She changed her entire workout routine.
When we first met her, she said she didn't think she'd ever lift heavy again.
She just wanted to wake up and not have back pain (which is 100% valid).
What Chronic Pain Actually Does to Your Life
That's the part about chronic pain that most people don't talk about enough.
When you're in pain for months, years even decades your whole identity changes.
You start to look at life based on what you CAN'T do. You say no to workouts, you rearrange your hobbies, and you go through your life thinking about how you can avoid pain.
And then all of a sudden, you look at your life, and you realize all your choices have been dictated by your pain.
Your actions are based on what feels safe, versus what you really want for your life.
There's really no other way to put this it sucks.
But you do it because the pain is so bad, you don't care what you have to change.
You just want to feel good again.
The sad part is, she had given up on physical therapy. She'd seen a PT before, gone to a chiro, tried dry needling, did a bunch of back exercises all the things you think you're supposed to do.
but still.
Every time she tried to lift again, her back would get worse.
She eventually switched to pilates - which we do love pilates but for her, the switch wasn't really a choice. It was just what felt safe - what she thought she could do without pain.
But then last year, she started to hurt again. she couldn't demo pilates movements without back pain.
She came in pretty defeated (& justifiably so) and basically said "I'll try this, but I doubt anything will change".
But there was a small part of her that thought "maybe this can help. maybe this doesn't have to be my life forever."
What We Did Differently
So we didn't jump straight into heavy lifting, try to "fix" anything, or even do a bunch of manual therapy.
That didn't work for her before.
We just started gradually rebuilding.
It wasn't about going heavy. It was about doing what she actually felt safe with AND what her body could tolerate and recover from.
If she had more pain the next day we took that as data and adjusted the next time.
If she was super scared or hesitant in the moment we scaled back.
We worked through really simple movements to just get her back moving again bending, rotating, and extending all the things she'd been avoiding, but we scaled them back so she felt comfortable, and so her body didn't revolt.
And we went slow. This part is so underestimated when it comes to chronic pain. Especially when there's fear involved.
She'd spent years pushing herself past what she could handle, experiencing a flare up, feeling guilty about it, resting, and then starting over.
Instead, we needed to find something sustainable: something she could build off of for months without having to get stuck in that frustrating cycle.
And that's the piece I think most people miss.
It's not just about "getting stronger." It's not about doing all the heavy back exercises in the world.
It's about rebuilding your tolerance to movement again so your body doesn't keep freaking out every time you try to do something normal.
And Then Yesterday Happened
She's been working with us for a few months. This isn't an overnight change.
but yesterday.
She did something insane.
Something she's avoided for years at this point.
She deadlifted again.
Over 100 pounds.
Without pain.
After years of thinking that part of her life was over.
After she did it, she said she'd honestly never thought she'd get back to that point.
she was shocked.
Now, she's going to CrossFit classes. She's demonstrating pilates movements without fear or pain. She's lifting heavy again. She can live life based on what SHE wants to do.
If This Is You - Keep Reading
We're still working and rebuilding, but this is huge progress, and if you're still reading this, I just want you to know no matter what you've experienced, or how long it's been going on.
I get it. I know how frustrating it is. I know how exhausting it is. We've seen so many people who've gone through this.
I know how easy it is to start believing that this is just how your body is now. But it's not. It doesn't have to be. It doesn't mean it's your fault, and it doesn't mean you did something wrong.
I've seen enough patients and stories like this to believe to my core: there is ALWAYS hope.
You don't need to avoid lifting forever. You don't need to view life as a series of things you can't do or have to modify.
You're not broken. You've just never been shown how to actually build your way back.
And if there's even a small part of you that thinks "maybe this can get better" hold onto that.
And if
you know someone who's dealt with years of pain and might need some hope - send this to them.
If you're ready to stop managing pain and start actually solving it, our team at Made 2 Move Physical Therapy works one-on-one with people across Daniel Island, Downtown Charleston, and Charlotte. See how we work - or read what our patients say about getting their lives back.
If You’re in Charleston, Daniel Island, Charlotte, or Mount Pleasant…
At Made 2 Move Physical Therapy, we help active adults and athletes and recreational athletes get out of pain and keep doing what they love.
We have three convenient locations:
Our team of DPTs can help you move, play, and live without limitations.
👉 Learn more about physical therapy for runners
Want to understand your body better, move with confidence, and stay active for life?
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Written by Hannah Breal, PT, DPT, Co-Owner of Made 2 Move Physical Therapy, helping Charleston and Charlotte move pain-free for life.
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