Deonna Purrazzo opened up about the physical challenges she faces in wrestling due to scoliosis and bulging discs. She expressed how certain moves are particularly painful for her, saying, “Body slam (is a move that hurts). Number one, two and three. Um, no. Body slam’s up there for me. I just don’t like it. I think it’s the worst bump to take.” She explained how her neck struggles with the impact: “Spinebuster. My neck doesn’t have the strength. My neck always slams back and it hurts. I hate it and like, a fallaway slam is coming to mind of it’s just uncomfortable.”
Purrazzo also addressed her training routine, clarifying that although she trains her neck, she does so differently due to her condition: “Yes (I train my neck). But not in the way wrestlers are taught to — so I have scoliosis. So, my neck has a slight curve to it and I just, from childhood, have bulging discs and stuff that I’ve just had to work through my whole life…” She carefully avoids certain common exercises, sharing, “So, I have to just beware of those potential injuries so, a lot of people like to do neck bridges and stuff like that. That doesn’t feel good to me. Or, a couple training schools that I’ve been to want you to hang your neck over the edge of the ring and pick it up and that is very uncomfortable for me.”
Instead, her approach involves alternative methods: “For me, it’s more of doing a lot of chiropractic work, I do a lot of range of motion stuff with him, and that helps manage scoliosis and potential injuries way more than traditional neck strengthening things for wrestling…” Despite the risks, she feels fortunate so far, saying, “Knock on wood, I’m so blessed that the scoliosis hasn’t ever played an issue into my wrestling but, there’s so much room for error in wrestling as a whole so, it can be very scary.”
Source: Lightweights Podcast with Joe Vulpis