Fighting to be pain free
– Jamie Varner interview
Naming pain physicians as “the only ones tough enough to treat MMA fighters,” Jamie Varner is as tough as they come. Often training and fighting through multiple injuries, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters suffer from debilitating pain that is most often treated with at-home remedies such as heat, ice, and over-the-counter pain killers. Varner, however, has discovered that pain physicians have been able to help keep him in fighting form. “The procedures and chiropractic care I get keep me healthy,” Varner says of his treatment programs. “I see them as preventative and on-going measures; they keep me training and that’s the most important thing.”
On June 20th, Varner fought against wrestler Kamal Shalorus which ended as what many fans are seeing as a stolen victory. Varner came out fight ready, and fought well with impressive hand and foot speed despite Shalorus delivering multiple illegal kicks and maneuvers. However, due to controversial scoring, Varner came away without a victory and the match ended in a split draw. In addition to the disappointing scoring, Varner suffered multiple injuries including a fractured hand and foot.
An MMA fighter, by trade, has to be tough and has to sustain painful injuries. While they may be able to stay tough during the fight as the adrenaline is flowing, once they’ve come off their “fighter’s high,” reality – and often searing, debilitating pain – sets in.
A medial branch block is a procedure many pain physicians use to treat neck and back pain. A minimally-invasive procedure, a medial branch block reduces the irritation and inflammation that cause pain in the spine and often relieve pain quickly, allowing a patient to get back to their daily activities. Varner was deemed a candidate and was quickly scheduled for a medial branch block, which relieved his horrible back pain and allowed him to return to his rigorous training schedule.
“Before my last round of treatment, I had the worst back pain,” Varner says. “The pain was in my lower back, and was a spasming pain. Sometimes, it would spasm so badly, I wouldn’t be able to throw a punch, grapple or do any lifting. It got so bad at times that I literally could not move, I couldn’t do anything. The pain was absolutely debilitating.”
For anyone, this kind of pain would be severely limiting, but for someone who devotes their entire life to being a top athlete, it is especially devastating. “Training is my entire life,” Varner says. “I eat, sleep and train. To not be able to do that – I’m not living my life. The fight is important, of course, but that only lasts minutes. I train daily for months up until those fights. I devote most of my time to training in preparation for my fights.”
In the few hours that Varner is not training, he is involved in helping others. As a youth, Varner suffered from spinal meningitis and now is devoted to helping young people who are challenged, but in different ways. Varner regularly works with at-risk and homeless kids and encourages them to find something they are excited about, using himself and fighting as an example. “I like being an MMA fighter, it’s what I do and what I live for,” Varner says. “I can’t even imagine not training and working toward my fights every day.”
Varner continues to receive on-going chiropractic care in the form of disc decompression, acupuncture and a TENS unit, and says that if the back pain were to return, he would undergo a medial branch block again because of the complete pain relief he has gained.
“I would recommend seeing a pain physician to anyone, not just fighters and other athletes,” Varner suggests. “I’d say anyone who is having back or neck pain should see a pain physician. It has completely fixed that problem for me.
