Let me be blunt.
Doctors know a lot. But they don’t always listen.
And when they don’t listen – especially to young people in pain – it doesn’t just lead to a missed diagnosis. It can wreck someone’s whole life.
I’m speaking from experience.
When I was 14, I got hurt. I had a hip injury and this deep, constant pelvic pain that I’d rate as a 10 out of 10. I couldn’t run anymore. I couldn’t train. Cross-country was my world, and suddenly it was gone.
I was told it was “all in my head.”
Over and over again. Not enough findings. Maybe stress. Maybe I needed rest. Meanwhile, I was falling apart. I was forced into early retirement, missing my final cross country season and my final two track seasons of high school. My plans to run in college had disappeared slowly day-by-day.I felt like I was trapped in a body that didn’t work the way it used to.
I believed them.
And that made it worse – because I stopped believing in myself.
Then, five years later, I got an MRI with contrast…for the first time.
It showed a labral hip tear.
Turns out the pain was real. Surprise, surprise. What else was real was the loss I experienced.
And what hit me wasn’t just relief. It was anger. So much anger.
Because if someone had just listened, I might have had a different story. One where I got help sooner. One where I didn’t have to carry all that doubt and shame for years.
That injury didn’t just take away my sport. It messed with my mental health. I spiraled into depression. I stopped trusting my body. I felt broken. And I felt that way way too young.
So why am I telling you this?
Because now I’m a therapist. And I work with athletes and people who are experiencing long-term chronic pain.
And if you’ve ever been told you’re making it up, or overreacting, or being too sensitive, I want to say this loud and clear:
You’re not weak. You’re not dramatic. You’re not making it up.
When injury hits, it doesn’t just hurt physically. It hits your identity, your motivation, your sense of safety in your own body. That’s not weakness: that’s how trauma works. That’s how the brain works.
But healing is possible. And not just the physical kind.
I use an approach called TEAM-CBT. It’s skills-based, science-backed, and it helps people feel strong again—mentally, emotionally, and yes, sometimes physically too.
I work with teens and adults. Some are athletes, some just feel like they’ve lost their edge or identity. We build a plan. We talk honestly. We learn real tools. We feel better.
This is work I believe in – because I’ve lived it.
If you’re in Indiana and want to talk, I offer a free 15-minute consult.
Book it here: naturl.link/teddy_fgi
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