About

Hi, I’m Amanda

I’ll share my credentials and experience below, but I wanted you to know why I’m so passionate about this work. I’ve been through my own journey with back pain. In fact, you could say I’m still on a journey with back pain, because the structure of my back is forever altered–which means that I will always be managing my back.

It all started my senior year in college, when I had a horse-related accident. In that accident, I badly sprained a major ligament between my lower back and pelvis, leaving me with chronic instability there.

In the beginning, I was in and out of PT multiple times, and each time, I would get better. But when I returned to “normal activity”, my pain would return. And sometimes it wasn’t just pain, but terrible spasms that would prevent me from standing, walking or even sitting.

Perhaps a lot like you, I tried everything. I was told I needed to get stronger, but every attempt I made resulted in back pain.

After a couple of years, I started working with an osteopathic physician that practiced manual medicine. Although he was able to help me restore my spinal and pelvic alignment, I couldn’t seem to keep it. I repeatedly asked him what else I could do–I was sure there was some sort of movement answer, but what was it?

After I had asked that question many times, he finally looked me in the eye and said, “You’re the Exercise Physiologist - maybe you’re the one that’s supposed to figure that out.”

That was a turning point for me. I pursued more training in Post-Rehab and Medical Exercise. I took courses and certifications in every strength modality I could find: Pilates, Kettlebells, TRX and more. I was desperately trying to answer the question, what does it take to free yourself from back pain?

In 2010, I was introduced to Red Cord and the concept of neuro-muscular training, and how you can teach the body to move without pain. As I turned my attention to the nervous system for more answers, I found an amazing mentor in Osteopathic Manual Therapy and Neurology. Studying movement through the lens of the nervous system instead of the muscles became an obsession that led me to create my own methodology to lead the body out of pain and back to healthy, efficient movement, using exercise. It’s this methodology I have used to free myself of back pain and help hundreds of others do the same.

I believe it’s this unique blend of education, uncommon mentorship, and first-hand experience that has led me to help so many return from not only back pain, but knee, hip, shoulder and neck pain, to resume active, healthy lives.

WORK WITH ME

Here is a list of my credentials and certifications:

Master’s Degree: Exercise Physiology (the University of Virginia)
Certification: Medical Exercise Specialist (The Medical Exercise Training Institute)
Certification: RedCord Active Specialist (RedCord International)
Certification: RedCord Active Instructor Trainer (RedCord International)

Certification: Functional Movement Specialist (Functional Movement Systems)
Certification: NeuroKinetic Therapy Level 1 (NeuroKinetic Therapy)
Trained: Pilates Instructor (STOTT Pilates)
Trained: Wellness Coach (Wellcoaches)

My work might be right for you if:

You’re tired of turning down activities with friends because you have a “bad back”.
Every time you start exercising, something starts hurting
You’re tired of waking up stiff and sore in the mornings
You’re tired of “paying” for even simple activities with back pain
You feel you can’t pick up your child without hurting your back
Getting in and out of your car feels “risky”
You wonder if your pain is just part of “getting older”
Your pain seems to move around: first your back, then your knee…
You’ve tried EVERYTHING, and can’t seem to get lasting relief

If you want to:

Start exercising again with confidence that your body can handle it
Feel younger, looser and more energized
Get back to enjoying the activities you love
Finally feel in control of your body again