Farrell's eXtreme Bodyshaping Farrell's Hurt for Life from Farrell's eXtreme Bodyshaping Waukee, Iowa

We find this claim difficult to believe for the following reasons:

1. I would expect someone to be referred to an orthopedic surgeon if two years of physical therapy hasn't been successful and you're still experiencing pain on a daily/nightly basis.  We'd like to see documentation of both the duration of treatment as well as the claim by Accelerated Rehab that 'many' of our students have been seen for the same type of issue.  We have a good relationship with Accelerated Rehab and they have not reported any concern to us about the number of injuries in our program.  Perhaps this person should complain about the money they've spent on physical therapy instead.

2. We?  Does the use of this plural pro-noun suggest that more than one person in the same household has experienced the SAME rare injury and is following the SAME treatment regimen and is showing the SAME lack of improvement?  The suggestion that more than one person has experienced exactly the same issue makes this claim hard to believe.

3. Plantar fasciitis is typically an over-use injury with overweight and hard flooring surfaces leading the list of contributing causes.  Our classes are ALL conducted on padded martial arts mats and we recommend a low-structured martial arts shoe for most students to help improve the strength of smaller muscles in the feet.  We have worked with many students with foot problems who require orthotic inserts and have never prohibited their use.  Unfortunately, there are many obstacles for an overweight person to overcome as they begin an exercise program.  Knees and feet can become damaged from everyday activities such as walking or standing when the joints are stressed by more weight than they are meant to carry.  Helping people navigate these obstacles successfully is, we believe, one of our greatest strengths.

We do work closely with a physical therapist to develop our stretching and strengthening exercises, as well as to help us adapt some of our kickboxing curriculum for people who are not able to perform  some of the kicking skills safely.

Any exercise opens the door to the risk of injury, but we do everything we possibly can to help our students prevent injury so they can continue in our classes and improve their health and fitness.  Many participants in our program have been inactive for many years, and becoming active again can cause old injuries to resurface.  We are also requesting documentation of any prior injuries and/or whether those injuries were disclosed on the health history form that was completed at the time of enrollment.

Fitness Kickboxing may not be the safest possible form of exercise, but the risks are very low when correct form is practiced.  We invest a significant amount of time in training our instructors to teach correct kicking technique to reduce the risk of injuries from improper technique.

We stand by our results.  More than 35,000 people have completed our 10 week course and while injuries do happen, they are rare.  Great results, however, are typical.  Many of our 10 Week winners' before and after photos can be seen here.