03/04/2023
I was recently asked to write an article about how exercise can benefit veterans, so I thought i would post it here as well.
A better life through exercise
My name is Steven Farmer, and I’m an exercise physiologist based on the northside of Brisbane. I was asked to write about what exercise can do for Veterans. The easiest way to do that is to explain what exercise has done for me.
In 2005 I deployed as an ASLAV fitter and driver within Op-Catalyst to southern Iraq. I came home with 2 ruptured discs and a crushed L4 vertebrae. I continued to serve up to 2008 when the injuries became too severe to continue.
With my military career over I lost all sense of who I was, had constant pain and was sliding into depression (sound familiar yet). I was working at reduced capacity and wages, and seeing doctors on an almost weekly basis, most of whom treated me as some sort of malingerer.
It all came to a head early in 2012 when I was driving a work vehicle 80 kms from Augathella, hit one pothole too many and lost all sensation below the waist. It’s ok - I found a way to get help (thanks to the inventor of cruise control).
That was the end of my working life, or so the doctors told me.
I had seen a sign offering DVA funded exercise therapy for veterans, so I went in and was introduced to the field of exercise physiology. I was scheduled for my first spinal fusion surgery in 2013, so the friendly ex-phys started me off with pre-surgery conditioning to give me the best chance of recovery. Unfortunately the surgery was less than successful. I stopped exercising, suffered multiple spinal fractures, had a major increase in pain (so severe I would pass out just lifting the toilet seat), and fell into depression (and was still treated as a malingerer).
Queue a new surgeon, a second spinal fusion, a few bone grafts and disc cages, and a spinal cord stimulator. All told I ended up having 11 surgeries to repair the spine and nerve damage.
It was my neurosurgeon Dr Johnson’s opinion that humans heal faster if they are moving well. He enrolled me into his Neurohab program, taught me how to move properly and brought exercise back into my life. The change was almost immediate. All of a sudden, I had something to succeed at and a realistic challenge that I could overcome. My mood improved with every milestone I reached.
Two weeks into the 8 week Neurohab course, I also returned to the exercise physiologist at Northside Allied Health and have never looked back. Throughout my time in rehab exercise, I learned how to move and lift without pain. Within 12 months after my final surgery, I stopped taking all pain medications and have been medication free ever since.
The help I received turned my life around. It inspired me to go to university, gain my accreditation and devote my working life to helping other veterans, and civilians alike to improve their lives through exercise. I am now 48 years old, have started my own company Medicinal Movement and also contract for Northside Allied Health. It is a true joy to work alongside the fantastic surgeon and the exercise physiologists that helped me put my life back together.
If you want more information on how exercise can help you to enjoy a longer life, keep up with the kids or grand-kids, or just improve your golf game check out my web site MedicinalMovement.com.au or contact me at [email protected]
