Be Safe and Plan for the Unexpected

Sameer Puri D.D.S.

14 years ago

A little while back, I was at the office, having a nice little run-of-the-mill day. I finished up the day and went to my routine of going to the gym and working out. After warming up, I got on the leg press machine and did a couple of sets. On the third set I pushed with my legs and heard a snap. "Oh, no!" I thought, "What just happened?"

I got up and immediately felt soreness in the lower back. I walked around a bit and tried to stretch but I could just feel it getting tighter. At that point, I grabbed my back and hobbled out the door to go home and ice my back.

Well wouldn't you know it that on the 10-minute drive home, my back went into spasms. Forget stretching, it took me 20 minutes just to wiggle my way out of the car. I laid down in the living room and couldn't move for 45 minutes.

I share this because all sorts of thoughts about my career started racing through my mind.

"What if I did permanent damage and couldn't do dentistry anymore?"

"What if I'm not able to move around and travel to teach courses at Scottsdale Center?"

"Who will take care of the practice and my patients?"

All far-out thoughts, but ones that went through my mind nonetheless.

The good news is that it took a few days but luckily everything is back to normal. Back spasms stopped and I am able to do all the normal things that I usually do.

My suggestion is take care of yourself. Make sure you have planned out your future and know what you and your family will do in case of an emergency. You never know when a silly thing like working out could end your career.