In 2007, I was sitting on my therapist’s couch, holding back tears, when she asked me, “What will you do if you can’t snowboard anymore?” I took a deep breath and replied, “I think I’ll die.” At just 30 years old, my body was already breaking down and I was beginning the long journey of chronic pain after a decade and a half of competitive snowboarding. The wear-and-tear had finally caught up with me after an 18-year love affair with the sport. The consensus of several orthop