Living with chronic whiplash and ligament damage — this injection could change everything.

In October 2023, I was violently assaulted by my former partner and suffered a severe neck injury. The injury left me with chronic whiplash and soft-tissue damage in my neck and upper spine. The injury has caused constant pain, weakness, and limited movement ever since.

Since then, I’ve been living with daily pain that makes it hard to sleep, drive, or even sit upright for long periods. I often wear a neck brace to help support my head, and even small bumps in the car cause me pain in the base of my skull.

For years, I went from doctor to doctor searching for answers. Many told me it was “just a bulging disc” or that I had something called “reversal of normal lordosis.” That means the natural curve in my neck had straightened or reversed, which often happens after trauma or muscle spasm and can cause severe, ongoing pain and tightness. But even with those findings, I was told nothing major was wrong — yet my pain kept getting worse — pain at the base of my skull, headaches, and pain when turning my head or looking up/down.

Over the past two years, I’ve tried multiple rounds of physical therapy, acupuncture, massage, muscle relaxers, pain medication, and heat/cold therapy, and multiple visits to the ER. I have also been to a pain management clinic and received nerve blocks, but these do not help my pain much. The nerve blocks are placed in the lower neck, not at the base of my skull, which is where my most severe pain is. On top of that, nerve blocks aren’t a fix — they only temporarily numb the pain and don’t repair the underlying damage.

Sadly, none of these treatments have brought lasting relief because I didn’t yet know the true cause of my pain — soft-tissue and ligament damage in my neck.

After seeing many doctors who couldn’t explain why I was in so much pain, a neurosurgeon last week finally diagnosed me with a severe chronic whiplash injury and damage to the ligaments that support my neck. Because these kinds of soft-tissue injuries don’t always show up on MRIs, it took a long time to get answers. The neurosurgeon also told me that my problem cannot be fixed with surgery, as there is no surgery they can do for soft tissue damage.He confirmed that these injuries are consistent with trauma to the neck from the assault and recommended that I continue pain management and consider specialized regenerative injections at a clinic such as Centeno-Schultz, which focuses on advanced treatments for ligament healing.They specialize in advanced stem cell therapy, which is designed to actually repair and regenerate the damaged ligaments and soft tissues, rather than just masking the pain. This treatment offers a genuine chance at healing and greatly reduce my pain because it targets the root cause of the problem, not just the symptoms.

I’m pursuing treatment at Centeno-Schultz because I believe it’s my best my best hope for recovery and regaining my quality of life.

Unfortunately, the regenerative injections I need are not covered by insurance, and they cost about $14,000. I will likely need several rounds of injections over time, along with follow-up care, physical therapy, and travel costs to the clinic.

However, regenerative stem cell therapy is the only treatment that directly targets the root cause of my pain.

This journey has been long and painful, but I’m determined to heal and regain independence. Your kindness and support — whether through donations or sharing my story — means more than words can express.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story and for helping me take the next step toward relief and recovery.