Pain-Free Athlete's Podcast
Are you tired of feeling pain? Are you recovering from a surgery? Do you want to learn how to stay active and pain-free? I'll share tips and strategies that can help you stay safe and pain-free while you're working out. I'll also interview experts in the field of fitness, rehabilitation and pain management.
Pain-Free Athlete's Podcast
A Revolutionary Approach to Pain Management - Interview with Ani Papazyan
Curious about how athletes can overcome pain holistically? Join us as we welcome Ani Papazyan, the celebrated "body pain fixer," who shares her extraordinary journey from professional athlete in Armenia to a trailblazer in personalized pain management. Discover how Ani's innovative techniques, which blend medical massage, functional nutrition, and translational nutrigenomics, are helping athletes and active individuals target the root causes of their discomfort. Hear about her compelling success stories, such as resolving a client's knee pain that was surprisingly linked to digestive issues. This episode isn't just about pain management; it's also a testament to persistence, entrepreneurship, and Ani's adventures, including working with Janet Jackson during her Las Vegas residency. Ani shares her insights on the grit needed to succeed and her initiative, "Last Stop 4 Pain," offering practical self-help techniques for managing pain. With stories of hope and perseverance, Ani leaves us inspired to continue seeking solutions and never settle for a life limited by pain. Tune in for an enlightening conversation packed with valuable insights for those striving for a pain-free existence.
@djsfitnessevolution
Welcome to the Pain-Free Athlete Podcast. I'm your host, dana Jones. I am a certified personal trainer and I'm here to help you achieve your fitness goals without pain. In each episode, I'll share tips and strategies that will help you stay safe and pain-free while you're working out. I'll also interview experts in the field of fitness and pain management. So if you're ready to learn how to stay active and pain-free, then subscribe to the Pain-Free Athlete Podcast today. Hi everyone and welcome to the Pain-Free Athlete Podcast. I'm your host, dana Jones, and today I have a special guest, ani. Would you like to introduce yourself?
Speaker 2:Hello Dana, hello everyone so happy to be here. Thank you so much. Yes, my name is Ani and I am known as the body pain fixer. So for three decades, creating personalized pain relief solutions for my clients were mostly Hollywood's elite. Now I love to share you know my proven methods with either teaching self-help techniques or doing speaking, or still have a clinic where I see my clients and helping people get out of pain. That's just my absolute passion.
Speaker 1:I love it. That's awesome. So how did you like? Did you wake up one day and say I would like to take care of Hollywood's elite? Or like, what brought you to this work? Like, what kind of calling did you have? Were you a person who suffered from pain?
Speaker 2:Well, no, actually. Well, let's just back up for a second, because this is you know, you're an athlete, you work with athletes, you teach. Well, I was a professional athlete back in Armenia. I played volleyball for Armenian national team for five years and growing up I played every sport hockey, soccer, wrestling. I was the only female in our hockey and soccer team back home. So my college I finished. My bachelor's I got is in kinesiology, so I've been an athlete all my life.
Speaker 2:And then, when I finished my college, with my family we moved to US. I reinstated my diploma here and then, growing up in an engineer's family but my parents were engineers education was a major thing. So my next thing was okay, now I have the bachelor's, the next step would be a master's degree and I thought I was going to become a physical therapist or a chiropractor. Well, that went out the window. As soon as I found out that I have to dissect cadavers, I said yeah, that's never going to happen, ever. So since I started massage actually medical massage in college. Back home, doctors like MDs can take medical massage as a continuing education. So that was the foundation of my massage career. So then I went to massage school but, being a former athlete, you know. Yes, I twisted my ankles several times, shoulder injuries of course. But like overcoming body pain, that's just. I just love it. You know the most challenging the cases. That's what it just gets my juices going. I love it.
Speaker 1:That's awesome.
Speaker 2:So you're like a scientist at heart, right, you know curious surprisingly, you know the scientist because I incorporate not just I'm not only a medical massage practitioner, but I'm also a functional nutritionist and I do translational nutrigenomics.
Speaker 2:So combining the science of you know, reading blood work, looking at the client's blood work or ordering a genetic, getting their genetic report and analyzing it to see if they're prone to having any more of so injuries or their body doesn't recover as fast from high intensity exercises. So if you're genetically so, if your body doesn't recover fast enough and you're like getting ready for whatever championship and training, training or overtraining, then you open yourself up, as you know. More injuries, but not only that, more systemic inflammation, more oxidative stress, so all that stuff you think you're doing good for your body actually can act negatively towards your body. So combining that science but also some of my clients call me the good witch because I do a lot of weird, funky techniques, which is like I love. So combining that also, you know, addressing the energy and power of your words and all those things it just makes a really cool combination.
Speaker 1:So because you know, when you look at it, you know a lot of times you know, oh, I hurt my elbow. I go to the doctor and they say, yeah, you hurt your elbow and they give me a pill or they wrap it up and tell me don't use it or whatever the case is. So you have kind of incorporated this holistic approach to your practice, Like how has that helped you, you know, become a better practitioner, like you know, how do you serve your clients with that type of approach?
Speaker 2:You know, it's really cool. It is very unique, very different. Because, okay, yes, you come and say, okay, ani, I have a pain in my neck or I have a pain in my knee, where do you feel the pain? And where the root cause of your pain could be completely different places. Or if I get two clients that have exact same symptoms but the root causes of their pain or my approach to treating their pain could be completely different. So it's just finding out, you know, by asking questions and actually listening to the clients, because when you listen, really listen to the client, a lot of times they tell you where it's coming from or what happened, what the issue is. It's just in between those words they say you know?
Speaker 2:Great example I had a client who came for knee pain and I'm checking his knee Like you know, the thigh muscles are fine, I'm just not feeling anything tight. And then he said, oh, this is kind of out of character, but I've been having some gas digestive issues. This, like a light bulb, went into from me on my head. It's like, oh my God, there is an intestine like digestive issue and knee pain. There is an energetic connection. So I went and I'm testing his abdominals and I started doing visceral massage like abdominal massage and then went back to the knee and the pain was gone and it was so awesome. It doesn't happen all the time, but I've had several times that it actually happened. So there is that energetic muscle organ connection energetic muscle organ connection.
Speaker 1:So, like you know, we know, um, or well, I know, that the stomach is like a second brain. Um, how often do you find that the stomach leads to? You know, or at least in that area, right, like you know, because more than you can think of like.
Speaker 2:I've had clients with um, digestive constipation issues come to me for lower back pain that I see so much. I have one client he comes constantly with the lower back pain. I don't even touch his lower back anymore, I just go and do visceral massage, abdominal massage, and his lower back pain goes away. Or, you know, there's like a shoulder pain sometimes could be again some type of digestive issues. Or one of my clients oh, this was amazing Not long ago, two weeks ago.
Speaker 2:He comes, he goes. I have a chest pain, left arm pain and I'm thinking you should be going to AR or something. He goes. I have a chest pain, left arm pain and I'm thinking you should be going to AR or something. He goes. And he saw my facial expression. He goes. I've already been to ER. I've had all the EKG, the stress test, everything done. It's not my heart. And then I start palpating his abdominals and there's a lot of like it's hard. It should not be hard, it's hard. He has a lot of bubbles in there, which means gas. So I actually referred him to go get colonics the next time I saw him. He goes. Oh my God, he goes. Ani, it's embarrassing, but I have to tell you I had so many parasites he goes. I could see them he goes. Now me, myself and my whole family are on parasite cleans. He goes. It was freaky, but guess what? His pain was gone, completely gone.
Speaker 1:That's crazy.
Speaker 2:And it's freaky.
Speaker 1:But the parent. I mean the thing is is that we eat food from various you know, like there's different food out there and sometimes we eat organic food, right, which we think we're doing great or whatever, and you don't do the basic stuff like rinse it off or you know that kind of stuff, and then those little I mean the stomach or the intestines are a fantastic place for everybody to kind of chill and enjoy themselves and get everything we're eating, and you don't really have an idea of what kind of havoc they can wreak on your system. Oh yeah, so that's nuts, that's you know, that's so. So, um, you know, I imagine you get a lot of people coming in for various things.
Speaker 1:Like, is there a trend? Like, do you see how people like? Like what do they believe when they come to you? Like are you like the last stop? Like I've gone to all the doctors've had this pain? Um, you know, and I I can't handle it anymore, so please help me. Or are you like the first stop where they're like this is bugging me? I'm not 100 sure if I should go to the doctor, but let me go and see if you can help me first. Or like, what kind of clients do you get? Like what kind of do they think you're doing voodoo? Like what kind of misconceptions do you hear?
Speaker 2:well, I get. You know, it's so funny, I get both. Um, I've had clients that have been with me for like 20 years. You know, this client or certain clients like would refer me their friends like they've been complaining about pain and they're like, okay, you just got to go see Ani, and I have these people come. They just book an appointment. Either text me or call me or they just go on my website and book an appointment. They don't ask any questions like how much it is, whatever, come to the office and they're like okay, so-and-so, sent me here.
Speaker 2:I don't even know what you do, but I've had this pain and I trust whoever sent me to you. So can you tell me what is it you do? But and then I have clients that have gone to different doctors have already had, you know, either cortisol injections, all kinds of different like acupuncture, chiropractic, different massages, and then finally someone sends them to me and that's I get them. And when I get people like that, it's exciting and at the same time it's a little nerving because I don't want to be another practitioner in their life that they went to. And actually that was one of the reasons I came up with my company name Last Stop for Pain because of I am your last stop for pain, hopefully, you know, for most people so. But yeah, I get both kinds of people and it's amazing. You know one of the.
Speaker 2:I think we were the other day when we talked about. We kind of addressed a little bit the mind-body connection and I think what kind of separates me a little bit from other practitioners is, yes, you come to my office because you're in pain, doesn't matter, your pain could be seven, eight, nine, sometimes 10. And you know, when you're in that type of pain, you are very motivated to get rid of that pain, right? So you're gonna do whatever I tell you to do, right? So you're going to do whatever I tell you to do. But when your pain goes down to two, three, so does your motivation? Because two, three you can live with, but seven, eight, nine, 10, it's a no, no.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:So. But so my focus is I don't get focused on oh yeah, you have pain here, let's get rid of it. My question to a client is what is that pain preventing you from doing? What is it you want to do that you can do because of that pain? So it's like oh, you know what I want to, like run around with my grandchild, I want to pick him up without my back pain, or you know what, I'm going to Europe and I want to be able to walk. That motivation will never go away until I get you out of pain. That's the one of the things that I think a lot of practitioners don't address and that's why, a lot of times, clients quit too soon.
Speaker 1:Okay, so do you? Now you know we have different ways. Like I have clients that I've had for a long time. When I used to attach myself to a Zumba studio. People would only come to me when they were in pain or they injured themselves and couldn't do Zumba. So they would come, they would work out with me for a little bit, they get strong and then they're like peace out and they'd go back to Zumba and forget that I even existed. Now do your clients like come into your life, like that, or do they you know you said you have clients that have had you more than 20 years Like what is it like? What kind of client base do you have? And like they're both.
Speaker 2:You know I do have very high client turnover because a lot of times you know majority of people. I think I mentioned the other day that most of the time there's like two kinds of people. I see the proactive people that do the maintenance, do see me every like. I have clients that I have a client who's been with me like 22 years and I remember that because she was pregnant when she met me, because I also used to do a lot of pregnancy labor massages, and her daughter is 22 years old, so actually 21. So I've known her almost 22 years. She sees me once a month, books appointments with me for the whole year once a month, and it's not necessarily she has to be in pain. We just do maintenance.
Speaker 2:You know I check the body. If I find any tightness I get rid of it. They are the more of a reactive people who are like you said. They're in pain, they come, you get rid of their pain, I won't see them anymore until next time they have pain. That could be months, that could be weeks, that could be years, I don't know. So there are the two kinds of people. Majority of them are the reactive people. They just come take care of their pain and they're gone, but I do have a handful of really good proactive people.
Speaker 1:Right. Well, that's the ones that keep you going right.
Speaker 2:Exactly, exactly.
Speaker 1:You know, do you like, do you play? Like I'll do'll do something, like I have different courses that I'll take, or you know, because I have like CEUs that I need to do for my fitness, and and then I start experimenting with those people like, hey, I just learned this new technique'm like you, I'm a major learner forever you know.
Speaker 2:I love learning new techniques, weirdest technique and I already do the weirdest techniques. My clients love it. Um, but yeah, I'm like, oh, you know what, let's try something. This is something new, let's try it. Like yesterday I have this um, he's a.
Speaker 2:He was a soccer player. I met him when he was 13 years old. I think all their team I used all their parents used to bring their kids 13 year old, these boys soccer players. They were in the league but and then he went on to college with the soccer scholarship. So even though he finished college, he actually moved out of state. But every time he comes to town he still comes and sees me.
Speaker 2:So I saw him two days ago and you know, his like chest was a little tight. I said, you know, let's try something new, because the kids, especially guys, they love when you do something. Most of the time my clients don't take their clothes off. The clothes are on the techniques, clothes off. Their clothes are on the techniques I do. Their clothes are on. So the guy, especially when he was younger, they love that something is unique, they feel comfortable, they feel safe and they're fun. I had him walk through this eye movement and tongue movement technique and we did, he did it. I was just walking him through it and then I went back and tested and the pain was gone. It wasn't tight anymore. It's like honey. I love it. Every time I come, this is like something new. You, you walk me through. So, yeah, no, I totally do it, that's great.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, no, I totally do it, that's great. So what was the most you know transformative case that you ever had?
Speaker 2:Oh my God. There's several, but one of them, it was amazing. This was many, many years ago. She was driven to my office by her neighbor because after her partial right breast mastectomy, she lost her balance. She couldn't walk, she couldn't drive, she couldn't walk straight. She was dizzy. And doctors you know normally what they do they send you physical therapy. She's like I can't even go to physical therapy because I'm so dizzy I cannot do any of those exercises. So her neighbor she was referred to me and her neighbor drove her to my office and when she said, you know partial mastectomy, of course I had to like get online and look up. Okay, what do doctors cut when they do the partial mastectomy surgery? In the surgery, what they cut, the main thing it was all the muscles, direct and indirect connections to your dura mater, and dura mater is the outer, tougher top layer that covers your spinal cord. We call it the tough mother. We call it the tough mother and all everything he was just eat through her body, her nervous system, out of balance. In 45 minutes session. All I did just balance all those muscles and nerves. That's it. It was done. It was so awesome.
Speaker 2:I actually submitted that case to Science of Massage. It's an online international journal that is run by a Russian MD who lives in Arizona and teaches medical massage, dr Rasturtsininov. I submitted that case and he published it because it was such a unique case. Because it was such a unique case and this was like 2012. Yes, long time ago, 2012. They published it and then end of the year, the community gets to vote which case was the best case for the year. And my case won. Wow. So, yeah, it was so cool and I got $500 for it. That's awesome. But yeah, that case was so cool and I got $500 for it. But yeah, that case was so like unique. That's what, like, I always remember that it was very unique.
Speaker 1:So how did she like? Did she come back to you again?
Speaker 2:No, that's it. I never saw her, but I did ask her to write me a review and she did so. Yeah, no, but that happens, that happens a lot that's crazy.
Speaker 1:Well, I you know. So, what are you doing? So, you obviously love to do a lot of things. It sounds like, and it's very cool and, of course, any way an athlete can kind of get in, you know, in touch with their bodies and, and you know, because we all want to keep doing what we're doing and this is a very wonderful approach to you know, elongating our careers, shall we say. But what are you doing? Like, how are you getting out in the world professionally? Like you know, you said you got a paper that's out there, and then what other things are you doing to kind of keep yourself engaged?
Speaker 2:paper that's out there and then what other things are you doing to kind of keep yourself engaged in? Well, right now, you know, my goal is because I've been at this for three decades what I love to do mostly is speak, teach from the stage. So, um, maybe go travel the world. I'm looking for any places, different parts of the world, that, if people do retreats, invite me to be part of the retreat where I can teach self-help techniques, because that I mean as much as I love at the office seeing clients. But I want to. You know, I want to reach more people. I want to reach millions and millions of people and there's so many really cool self-help techniques that I can teach or inspire someone that there are pain relief solutions out there. You don't have to learn to live with pain Just because you went.
Speaker 2:My favorite is when people say I tried everything, nothing worked and I'm like everything. Maybe you tried one thing, two things, three things, but there's so many solutions out there and that's why, when earlier I mentioned there are two types of people, they're actually the third type, three types of people and I mentioned to you the other day that in January I'll be speaking at this Visionary Entrepreneur Summit and actually the third type of person, mainly what I'm going to be talking about. So that's yeah, that's going to be my next journey and, of course, to be on a TEDx stage. I would love to do a TED talk and publish my own book.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. Well, so just for the little, I guess like a little lead in the three types of people that you talked about, right, so you have the pain preventer.
Speaker 2:So there's a pain preventer, there's a pain prevent, there's a preventers, there is a reactors and the third one is the resilience that never stop looking for solution see that was so polite, because when you and I had talked about, I put it like solution, obsessed and I wouldn't want to call obsessed, because these are the people that will never quit. They know there is a solution out there. They would not quit until they find a solution, and these are the people I love to work with. That was me, though. That's why.
Speaker 1:I was like when you were going through it, I'm like, yeah, I feel like, because when you're suffering so badly and that's what makes it nice, that you are kind of incorporating the mind-body as well, because I never got that right as a chronic pain sufferer the only thing I got was you know, here's another drug, Can you try this out? Oh, don't eat this, don't you know whatever. And it was a lot of like band-aidy type solutions and people didn't ask you know whatever? And it was a lot of like band-aid-y type solutions and people didn't ask you know, and I think I've talked about this a long time ago, you know, when I was going for migraines and they're like, well, you know, you got to watch the caffeine and I was like, well, I don't drink caffeine. And they said, well, okay, that's good, you know, but they never said like, do you drink water?
Speaker 1:And then, even when they said, do you drink water, I'm like, yeah, and then they never asked me how much, and you know it was like I wasn't drinking an normal amount that anybody should be drinking. You know, I didn't realize it and and amazing what happens? Right, I drink water, and then my fricking skin is beautiful, and then a lot of the little you know, little nigglings, right, the little aches and pains go away because you know my body's actually hydrated to the appropriate amount. So you know there's this. I feel like you're covering more of a complete type like your. Your holistic approach is you know what makes you wonderful, right, and that when and my personality yes, your winning personality.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. It's true, though Right, it is true, oh my God.
Speaker 2:I have to show you so today. Today I have a client of mine who she has four children. All of them are my clients. Whenever they come in town, they're all away in college, east coast but when they come in town, the mom brings them to see me. But mom, I love her, she's this amazing woman.
Speaker 2:So she was flying to Thailand and I gave her two of my essential oil little things that I use on a plane for, instead of wearing compression socks, I use it for the legs, blood circulation. So I landed my oils but I said, because I'm going to go to Vegas, I said I'm going to need them back when I, when you come back. And so I met her up with her today so I can get my oils. And then then she gives me this card and, oh my God, there's this beautiful things in there. You know that she wrote like how much, like how she appreciates how much I help her, not only from what I know, but always looking for new solutions, addressing the pain from different angles. Because this one didn't work and that one didn't work Like, okay, what else? Because it drives me crazy when I cannot find a solution. I feel such a failure Like it. Literally it drives me crazy, horrible. I feel horrible, I feel like I need to give them money back because I didn't find a solution.
Speaker 1:I totally get that. So you know we skipped over. Why are you going to Vegas?
Speaker 2:Well, not because I love gambling. Actually, I hate gambling and I don't even like Vegas. But I am so fortunate that I am back on the road with Janet Jackson, who I worked with. I did her world tour in 1998, 99. And then this last May they contacted me again. So I've been traveling with her since May and now she's doing Las Vegas residency. So I will be in Vegas on and off this whole month and then February and then in May. Then hopefully she decides to go back on a tour again because I love to travel. So, yes, I'm very fortunate to have some awesome, awesome clients.
Speaker 1:Now, just you know, total aside, like, what kind of athlete is she? Because to have your body, you know, like I don't know what is the tour schedule like, or even residency. Are they doing two shows a day or only one?
Speaker 2:as far as I know, it's one show, but on a tour, oh my god it. It was brutal. Sometimes she would do three shows back to back.
Speaker 1:Holy moly.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, and you know she's there. She's like she's 58 years old but she's been doing this for 51 years. She's an athlete, that woman. It's so funny. Like the dancers, she has four dancers young, you know, guys, amazing. But in my mind she, she's up there and she's doing it. I mean she is an athlete. They with the choreography, they show her one thing boom, she's got it. She does it. That's it Doesn't need to repeat, it's amazing. That woman, it, that's, it Doesn't need to repeat, it's amazing. That woman is, yeah, amazing. Like one of the shows, a couple of the shows, she had a cold and we can tell like she had a cold. She gets on stage and I'm like you can't even tell she has a cold. She does the two-hour show like nothing. That's crazy. Yeah, that's crazy. Yeah, that's awesome. That's an athlete.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and that's what I mean. That's where I was kind of leaning to is just that, you know, because she's not passive, right, she's just not standing in front of a microphone and belting out, like I remember, when I was in college I was actually I was in my master's program at Florida State and she did a concert in Tallahassee. God knows why she went to Tallahassee, but you know, whatever, but anyway, and there was four trucks, like of all her equipment, and this was back in the nineties and it was insane. You know, like it was like oh, this is not some little concert Like this is or maybe when he was in the 90s, maybe I was on the road with her.
Speaker 2:There you go.
Speaker 1:We may have crossed paths. Were you in Tallahassee, florida, in 92?
Speaker 2:Probably. Who knows we did at the time. We did four months of US.
Speaker 1:Yeah so, but I was I remember like thinking about it and then I never I didn't go cause I was poor so I couldn't afford her ticket. But a friend of mine went and they said that it was watching her move and everybody with her like it was amazing how much stamina you know she needed to have to perform. Yeah, yeah you know.
Speaker 2:So yeah, it's, it's amazing. I watch every show because I have to be on the sidelines and it's still. I never get bored. It's amazing. That's crazy and I love watching the crowd, how crazy they get yeah.
Speaker 1:So let's see what a wonderful opportunity you have. Yes, so you also have an event coming up. What are you doing in Januaryuary?
Speaker 2:so, yeah, it's that um, what was it? Um, entrepreneurs, visionary is it visionary? Entrepreneurs, uh, summit which, uh, they have several speakers. You know most of it it's going to be, I'm assuming, geared towards entrepreneurs and my talk, even though I'm addressing, you know, pain relief and the different category of people that deal how they approach their pain, like what your pain management or pain relief type, but mostly I'll be talking about with you know, the third type that I mentioned, that people never stop looking for solutions, and at one point I will be making that connection to entrepreneurs because you know it's not a straight line.
Speaker 2:Being an entrepreneur, there's a lot of failed stuff. Being an entrepreneur, there's a lot of failed stuff. There's a lot of, you know, one foot forward, three foot back and it's very easy to quit and I'm sure you've had it, I know I've had several times I'm like, okay, you know, wouldn't it be easy to like get nine to five job, even though I've never had a nine to five job in job in my life, I've never worked corporate world, so I have no idea. But I know that I make a terrible employee because I is just not in my it's in, not in my system to be. But so making that connection to entrepreneurs, the ones that succeed are the ones that never you know. They have that big goal in front of them and you just never take their eye off of it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, that's great. So you're keeping yourself busy. I love it, always, always, always. Well, ani, thank you so much for joining me and I loved hearing your story and everything you're doing. And is there anything else you'd like to tell us before we? How can we get in touch with you?
Speaker 2:Well, I'm sure you have the information in a show notes. My website you can see here. Last Stop for Pain, and four is a numeric four and I gave a little free gift for your audience. It's just a daily like five for five days. You will get very short videos where I teach self-help technique for neck pain, for back pain, for lymphatic drainage. So it's something like tangible that you would walk away from you know with. And one message, if you would just take away from whenever you're listening this never learn to live with pain. There is a solution. If you're someone living with pain, there is a solution. If you're someone living with pain, there is a solution out there. You just haven't found one yet. So never stop looking for it. That's it. That's my message. Thank you so much. Thanks so much, donna, thanks everyone.
