Phoenixville resident and ultra-marathoner Jonathan Rizzo is finally feeling better after a mysterious condition left him nearly bedridden for months, writes Ronald Winokur for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Rizzo was in the middle of one of his daily runs in November when he felt his back pop. Pain stopped him in his tracks. He immediately went to see a sports medicine physician, who sent him to physical therapy.

The sessions were so painful for Rizzo; however, he decided to get a second opinion.

After an MRI, he received a call from a radiologist who found a massive blood clot blocking his inferior vena cava and iliac veins.

Unfortunately, the procedure to unblock it failed; the material compromising his blood flow was too hard. Doctors suspected a rare tumor of the blood vessels, but biopsy results were negative.

Medication helped reduce the swelling in his leg, but months later, he was still barely able to walk.

Finally, an interventional radiologist managed to improve his blood flow in an eight-hour procedure. He rebuilt Rizzo’s vein structure with stents.

Rizzo recovered quickly and is feeling “brand new” now that he is able to run again.

Read more about Jonathan Rizzo in The Philadelphia Inquirer.