When John Harrison of Nu'uanu was 13 years old and working on his family farm in Vermont, it was his job to run behind the bailer and toss bales of hay into the back. The bales weighed 40 pounds.

"One day, I threw a bale and something went squaaaark and I couldn't move. I was flat on my back for two or three weeks. At age 13 I was in the middle of a major growth spurt. After that, the bones in my vertebrae were asymmetrical with an 's' curve in my spine," Harrison said, flinching at the memory.

Harrison developed scoliosis and, as he aged, he experienced increasing degenerative disc problems. "It was also partially genetic because my mother had degenerative disc disease," he said.

A third contributing factor was his job. When starting out as a field scientist, he was active and in the ocean nearly every day. As he progressed up the academic ladder, the job grew increasingly sedentary until he found himself sitting at a desk, often hunched over a computer, for hours every day.

Finally, the pain became so debilitating that he was unable to sail or perform any exercise without aggravating his back. "Sailing is such an elemental part of who I am. I have to get out on the ocean," Harrison said.

He underwent five back operations and months of rehabilitation. His surgeon, Dr. Gonzalo Chong at Straub Clinic & Hospital, told him that he would just keep injuring his back if he didn't find a fitness regimen that would "address my issues and keep my back from being compromised all the time," Harrison said.

"As a scientist, I thought I knew more about the human body and muscle physiology than most people, but I tried so many times to address the issues on my own and ended up hurting myself when I trained. I finally realized that working out with significant injuries, or past injuries, requires oversight by a professional."

That's when Harrison called on personal trainer Sherry Gannaway of Body By You Inc., a firm specializing in injury prevention and ergonomics. After months of successful training and strengthening with Gannaway, Harrison began reading about Pilates. He thought it would help — and it did.

He found Jaydene Sniffen of Pilates Advantage in the phone book and began training with her. The goal of Pilates is to increase flexibility and balance, improve posture and strengthen the core muscles of the body.

In addition to her Pilates practice, Sniffen is a certified teacher of the proprietary Gyrotonic technique, and she began incorporating Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis (both trademarked names for the technique and its principles) into Harrison's workouts.

Gyrokinesis is a form of exercise based on the principles of gymnastics, swimming, yoga and ballet, developed by Hungarian athlete and dancer Juliu Horvath.

Gyrokinesis involves fluid, circular movements and breathing to focus on proper body alignment, balance and deep-core muscle development. It is continual, rhythmic movement that can be done seated, standing or squatting.

Horvath later created wooden machines with rotational discs and weighted pulleys to add variable controlled resistance, trademarking them as the Gyrotonic Expansion System. A complete workout on the system can easily become aerobic.

DESPITE INJURIES

Working with a certified professional in Pilates or Gyrokinesis, it's possible to work around injuries and still strengthen the muscles and balance the body. Harrison now says he's "relatively pain free."

Sniffen, who has a background in dance, said her clientele includes people with hip, neck, back and knee issues, as well as osteoporosis. Pregnant women and seniors also benefit, she says. "Each client has different issues that can be balanced to help them enjoy greater ease of movement and more vitality."

Adriana Hull of On Balance Studio in Kailua, who is certified to teach both Gyrotonic and Pilates techniques, studied with Horvath in New York. She explained that Horvath controls the training process, and there are no quick and easy certifications. The process requires a pre-training course, foundation training course and apprenticeship. Exams are conducted by Horvath himself.

Asked to compare Gyrotonic and Pilates, Hull said the inventors (Joseph Pilates and Juliu Horvath) were both dancers, gymnasts and swimmers. "Both helped me a lot with injuries as a dancer. A body can benefit from both, really. The main difference is that Pilates is linear and precise, while Gyrotonic is fluid and circular," the instructor said.

Harrison has discovered the benefits of both. "The key is to be in tune with your body and listen to what it's telling you, whether it's about eating or exercising or resting," he said. "The more in tune you are with what your body needs, the more naturally healthy you will be."

Reach Paula Rath at prath@honoluluadvertiser.com.