Backcountry Physical Therapy
2026-06-01T15:51:39.749Z
I’ve been meaning to write this for a month, so first of all: Nick, I’m sorry man, I actually took time off of work so I could remember to do this.I’m writing this at the end of a three mile run that, at the end of last year, I would not have been able to walk without being bedridden for at least a full day. After 14 years in the military of “roll out of bed and run until you can’t,” I suddenly couldn’t anymore. I guess that’s what those old crusty guys were trying to warn me about.Dr. Nick Wohkittel was my physical therapist, and at the very beginning of this, I was doing very light flexion and stretching exercises. After a week of doing that…probably more than he would have liked, I surprised him by doing a standing lunge for the first time in a year. He had me start doing core exercises, and stretching focused on my hip and lower back (the center of the pain that had bothered me for, at that point, six months straight). Another week after that, and we started doing more, and then more after that — and let me tell you, at no point was this easy. In this case, learning to tell the difference between good pain and bad pain was critical for me. Dr. Wohkittel definitely helped me with that.Today, after three miles of running with my dog, 100 body-weight squats, a twenty minute core circuit, and half an hour of stretching, I have no pain. None. Not even a little bit. My lower back has zero issues with it anymore, and I haven’t taken Tylenol in three months. That was a daily thing, before I got to these guys. I deadlifted yesterday at a working weight of 225 pounds, and I haven’t been able to do that in years.Bottom line: It is not at all an exaggeration to say that Dr. Wohkittel and the Backcountry team have seriously changed the trajectory of my health. I’m going to live longer because of these guys — so if you’re on the fence about going to see them, on whether or not they can actually help you, don’t be.I’m going to get a lot more time around my family because I went to Backcountry. It’s worth every penny, and then some. Thanks, Doc. That doesn’t really cover all you’ve done for me, but I’m going to say it anyway.
I’ve been meaning to write this for a month, so first of all: Nick, I’m sorry man, I actually took time off of work so I could remember to do this.I’m... More