We recently connected with Andy Curtiss and have shared our conversation below.

Andy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

I served in the Army for 12 years. During that time, I served in elite infantry units and was ultimately selected and trained to serve on a Special Forces A Team. Over the course of my career I endured a variety of sports related injuries. However, once the War On Terror began, I suffered Combat related injuries to include crushed cervical vertebrae and broken and separated L4 and L5 vertebrae. These injuries have caused major problems in my life which ultimately led to left shoulder, arm, and pectoral atrophy and loss of function post military separation. I also experienced brief periods of lower body paralysis and extreme sciatic pain.

I sought medical advice and care from the VA, and the VA prescribed me physical therapy for 9 months. After 9 months of physical therapy, I was worse off than I started. That is where I began looking into other means of therapy and treatment. While I was in the Army I was sent to school to be a personal trainer. I was also trained in trauma care. So I used my foundational knowledge of anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology to search for other methods. This led me to a series of treatment options from TENS unit treatment, to mobility training, and chiropractic care.

One of my chiropractors approached my problems through the lens of getting to the root of the matter. He was a corrective exercise specialist. He realized that chiropractic adjustments only address the joints themselves but not the factors that affect the joints such as the ligaments, Tendons, muscles, and myofascial tissue. It was through this protocol that alleviated the chronic pain and many of the functional issues I was experiencing. I was able to return to near optimal condition over time.

I was so impressed with the success of these corrective exercise protocols, I pursued it myself. I went back to school to earn my second degree. I pursued a Pre Medical Health Science degree, majoring in Exercise Science. I then pursued training as a Performance Enhancement Specialist, Corrective Exercise Specialist, and Medical Exercise Specialist. Dr. Steve Sanders opened me up to a whole new world of injury treatment and therapy in the way he approached my injuries. Today I work with clients both in person and virtually to help them approach their health problems in a natural, scientific, and wholistic way.

Andy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Andy Curtiss. I am a Nationally Registered Emergency Medical Technician and a Corrective and Medical Exercise Specialist. My company is named Max U. The U is the symbol in physics equations representing potential. Potential is untapped and unharnessed energy. Potential can also represent resources that are not being used. I started Max U LLC to help people recognize and realize their maximum potential by helping them address injuries and even prevent them using a variety of modalities from nutritional and metabolic, to kinesthetic, and even myofascial release.

I work with people to get at the root of their health issues. I have the American College of Sports Medicine Exercise Is Medicine Level 2 credential, as well as credentialing from the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare, and have a National Provider Identification Number. Max U LLC is insured. Clients include those who suffer from Obesity, Metabolic Syndrome, Type 2 Diabetes Meletus, sports injuries, postural distortions, and movement dysfunctions. I am proud to say that I work with the client and their primary care providers to get to the root of their issues and prevent future problems.

At Max U LLC the heart of what we do is Health, Wellness, and Rugged Independence. Without being healthy and well, one can never be independent. Our motto is “Strong People are Harder to Kill.”

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

In 2004, I was on an operation in Afghanistan in pursuit of Taliban militants. The chase led me into the mountains and through a series of mountain cave complexes. During direct contact with the enemy I went over what was estimated to be a 40 foot ledge. I impacted the ground so hard the barrel of my rifle was bent. I broke my lumbar back. After the event leading to my injury I was left with only my pistol. The mission was aborted and I mustered everything I had to walk out of the mission on my own two feet.

That injury would later lead to me experiencing intermittent bouts of lower body paralysis and extreme back and lumbar pain. After years of living with the pain and searching for a means to alleviate the residual symptoms of my injuries I was introduced to Corrective Exercise protocols. I’m happy to say that although the injuries are still there, they no longer dictate how I live my life.

The reality is none of these protocols work if you don’t do the work yourself. When approaching corrective and medical exercise protocols you get out of it what you put in it. There’s discomfort, there’s pain, but with resolution and the acceptance of finding comfort in discomfort you can find resolve.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

From 1996 to 2007 I was a soldier in the United States Army. From there I transitioned to being an independent government contractor. In 2019 I decided to pivot from the military industrial complex to the field of medicine. I went back to college, I studied Health Science, majored in Exercise Science, got recertified as a Personal Trainer, earned my certification as a Performance Enhancement Specialist, then studied Corrective, therapeutic and Medical Exercise. I Earned my Corrective and Medical Exercise Specialist credentials, received credentialing from the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare, the American College of Sports Medicine Exercise is Medicine Level 2 credential, and received a National Provider Identification Number.

In 2020, I started my business in Virginia Beach Virginia….Max U LLC. In 2021 I moved to Clarksville Tennessee and stepped completely away from the military industrial complex to commit myself to the endeavor of helping others realize their true potential and live healthier independent lives.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://maxurpotential.com
• Instagram: @acurtiss78
• Facebook: @Max_U_LLC
• Twitter: @ACurtiss78
• Youtube: Max Potential

Image Credits
All photos taken by Karissa Layne Photography in Clarksville Tennessee