When Kevin Krause’s vigorous daily exercise routine took a toll on his body, he fought the pain by exercising some more.
Sounds ludicrous? Not according to Krause.
Krause had three months of acupuncture treatments, made repeated visits to a chiropractor and saw numerous doctors before he finally found a treatment that worked: A customized exercise program developed by Anthony Carey, who’s also the CFO at Function First in Sorrento Valley.
Function First is a functional exercise company that helps people with chronic muscular pain, including lower back pain, headaches, arthritis, tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome.
Carey and his partner Aaron Brooks, who is president of Function First, founded the firm in 1995.
Function First visitors are asked about their health history and previous treatments. Then follows the pivotal part , a posture evaluation, Carey said.
“We do a gait evaluation, observe the walking patterns of people to see how the body responds to movement and gravity,” he explained. “We then develop a series of unique and individually designed exercises to correct imposteral imbalance.”
To get results, patients usually need between six and 10 hours of personal training.
The first visit costs $150; follow-ups run $100 per hour.
But, discipline is key. To get better, patients need to do the prescribed routines at home, too.
For Krause, the money and time spent was worthwhile. “I have no more hip or lower back pain,” he said.
Rival companies in town include The Egoscue Method health clinic and Symmetry Postural Therapy. Both are located in Del Mar.
