A MAN who suffered a freak gym accident which resulted in more than a dozen operations has established himself as a personal trainer.

Andrew Noutch, 32, a former teaching assistant, who put his back of place, spent six years undergoing 16 operations to correct his sciatica and eventually resume an active lifestyle.

Mr Noutch, from Sale, is now a partner and an exercise guru at Hale Personal Training, but only after completing a Level 3 diploma in August 2012.

“After working as a teaching assistant in a primary school I knew I wanted to continue to educate and support people, but in a health and fitness environment.

"Coming from a sporting background and having experienced the benefits of personal training first-hand, becoming a trainer seemed a natural career path to take.”

Since launching his career in 2012, he has amassed over sixty clients ranging from as young as 11 up to those in their mid-70’s and has worked with a number of people with a range of physical conditions including motor neurone disease, Parkinson’s and those like himself, with lower back pain.

He explains: “It’s been great to be able to work with specific conditions, particularly those with lower back pain.

"Having been on the client side of an exercise referral scheme, I can really empathise with each clients’ physical and mental requirements which I think can be very beneficial to them.”

Mr Noutch adds: “Re-training was one of the best decisions I ever made, each day is different and I look forward to seeing how the business develops in the years to come."