My Comeback Story: Tarsis O.

My name is Tarsis G. Orogot. I was born and raised in Soroti, Uganda, and I’m a student-athlete at the University of Alabama, competing in track and field. I hold a personal best of 19.75 seconds in the 200m a time that stands as both the University of Alabama and SEC Championship record. I’ve proudly represented Uganda at three World Championships and, most recently, at the 2024 Olympic Games. I qualified with the fifth-fastest time in the world that season. 

At the Olympics, after winning my first round heat, I felt tightness in my left glute. I assumed it was just the usual fatigue that comes with sprinting at a high level. But it wasn’t. Soon after, I was diagnosed with mild desiccation of the L5-S1 disc a spinal issue that triggered intense lower back pain and sciatic nerve pain shooting down my left leg. For eight months, we tried every minimally invasive treatment possible, but nothing brought lasting relief. I couldn’t train at full capacity, and it felt like my body had betrayed me at the peak of my career. 

Everything changed when I underwent basivertebral nerve ablation performed by Dr. Goodman at the Surgical Institute of Alabama. Prior to that, my doctors—Dr. Cordover, a spine surgeon at Andrews Sports Medicine, and Dr. Goodman, an interventional physiatrist at OrthoAlabama Spine & Sports—and I had conferred to explore treatment options that could relieve my symptoms and allow me to compete again in Olympic-level sprinting. We discussed emerging stem cell technologies, regenerative treatments, and intradiscal therapies before ultimately deciding on basivertebral nerve ablation. 

After a year of frustration, the pain was gone—and I could finally move, train, and live again. This summer, I’ll return to the world stage at the 2025 World Championships stronger, smarter, and more grateful than ever. 

I hope my story enlightens not only elite athletes, but also anyone reading this: your spine is your foundation. Don’t take it for granted. A lifestyle audit from training to posture to recovery is essential if you want to protect your body and perform at your best, in sport or in life.