My Hinge Health Story: Linda

“Hinge Health is just amazing. I love it. I never thought that I would be out of pain.”

Meet Linda

Linda is a middle-aged woman whose job as a florist requires her to be on her feet for eight to 10 hours a day. A few years ago, she started experiencing back pain that was so painful it stopped her from being able to walk comfortably and do basic chores like grocery shopping.

How Pain Impacted Linda’s Life

Around five or six years ago, I started having back pain, and then about three years ago it got really bad. I was living on ibuprofen just to stay out of pain, and sometimes it didn't even work. By the end of the day when my back was hurting I’d put the heating pad on it and just lay down for the rest of the day. 

It was hard to get around. If we went to Cedar Point, an amusement park in the area, we'd have to keep stopping because I had to keep resting my back. I’d just tell my daughter and her kids to go ahead and I’ll catch up.

In the grocery store, there were times where I would get one of those rollie carts and do my shopping because I just had no gumption to walk around with the grocery cart.

I found out that the L4 and L5 vertebrae were going out in my back, but they wouldn’t do surgery because it's the most dangerous place in your back to have surgery. I started taking prescription medication and getting steroid shots once a year.

Linda’s Turning Point

I had thought about physical therapy (PT), but I really run paycheck to paycheck, and they only pay for so many treatments. So I figured I'd give Hinge Health a shot because it’s free and I wanted to see if it would work.

It probably took a month before I really noticed anything, and about three to four months to where I hardly had any back pain. It's just amazing. I love it. I never thought that I would be out of pain. I haven’t had a steroid shot in a year and a half and I only take my medication as needed. Without Hinge, I’d probably still be getting the steroid shots and taking my medication on a daily basis. 

How Hinge Health Helped

I love the community because I like reading what everybody has to say. You can join in on their conversations and there's a lot of support there. My coach has been wonderful. If I need anything modified, or just to talk to somebody, she’s right there for me.

I always had a hard time walking down steps, and I’m able to walk down the steps to get into our swimming pool now. And this year is the first time in years that I've actually been able to walk through Cedar Point without being in pain.

Linda’s Advice

Just try it. The experience that I’ve had is wonderful.