My Hinge Health Story: Mark

“I've been profoundly impressed with Hinge Health across the board and from the very beginning. It's not just the exercises. It’s sleep. It’s nutrition. It's stretching. It's a positive mental attitude. It's taking control of the things you can do to improve your situation so that you don't have to live with your daily dose of chronic pain.”

Meet Mark

Mark is a middle-aged man who has led what he describes as a “kinetic” lifestyle. He was a gymnast and a diver in high school, has done martial arts, and exercised consistently throughout his 30s and early 40s. In his early 50s, he started to experience chronic pain in his lower back and knees.

How pain impacted Mark’s life

Wear and tear and time began to take their toll, so by the time I was in my late 40s-early 50s, I was starting to deal with some pretty significant and pretty consistent chronic pain, especially in my low back.

I was on a business trip and my back went into spasms that were so bad I couldn't even stand up straight. There were times when the pain in my knees and the sciatica had me walking downstairs in slow motion, but also upstairs in slow motion, hanging onto the handrail not just for balance but to kind of pull myself up the stairs. 

Pre-Hinge, I would have a hard time falling asleep. I would wake up with pain and it would be hard to get out of bed because my back would be so sore. 

Mark’s turning point 

I had gotten to a stage of my life where I guessed I was just going to have to deal with chronic pain. I thought it was just the new normal and that I was going to have to tough it out.

Around three years ago, I was contacted by somebody from our benefits program. They said that I was eligible for this program and if I was interested all I had to do is call this number and sign up, and so I did. I was extremely impressed by how easily Hinge helped me to get engaged once I sent in my application.

I’ve had tremendous success in alleviating my low back pain. I moved on to the knee program and that was also tremendously helpful. Then I moved on to the hand and wrist program, and I'm experiencing the same improvement. I've been profoundly impressed with Hinge Health across the board, and from the very beginning.

How Hinge Health helped

The Hinge program that I started first was for the low back. It was probably around the third or fourth week that I began to feel stronger. I'll do two or three workout sessions with a playlist and then I will level up to the next playlist. I do it every single day. It always takes two to three weeks to sort of build up the steam when you start the new playlist because you're learning the new exercises.

Another great thing about Hinge is that they start you off at a very manageable level. There's a gentle ramp-up, but then it keeps evolving and changing in a way that keeps you motivated and keeps it interesting. And you can always go back and redo exercises from earlier playlists. 

It's not just the exercises. A lot of the education articles go into a wide range of things. It’s sleep It’s nutrition. It's stretching. It's a positive mental attitude to a large extent. It's taking control of the things that you can do to improve your situation so you don't have to live with your daily dose of chronic pain. I have a lot less pain now than I had three years ago.

My wife and I have a trip to Alaska planned. There's various hikes and tours. It’s really nice not having any physical limitations and having the confidence to make plans like that and know that I will not only be able to carry them out, but I'll enjoy them.

Mark’s advice

Fill out the application today. It only takes a few minutes, and the welcome kit will be at your doorstep. It’s very easy to get started, and it's easy to sustain once you get into it. I also encourage you to read the articles carefully because they impart a lot of knowledge that will really supercharge the effect of the exercises. And don't hesitate to reach out to your coach because they will absolutely be there for you.