Living with a chronically unstable back
An unstable back (together with ‘dodgy’ knees, tennis-elbow, etc., etc.), can sometimes get in the way of regular exercise, but it doesn’t mean ALL exercise is impossible; nor should it.
While I personally recommend lifestyle modification with the use of specific exercises for long term resolution of problems, I accept the fact that most people prefer to see their doctor, chiropractor, physiotherapist, etc, whenever back or neck pain interrupts their life. I was exactly the same until I got fed up with the severity and frequency of my own back-attacks.
My wake-up call came after a 15 month period of real misery. I had intense sciatica down at least one leg (and often both) EVERY day. Pain would shoot across the pelvis, back and shoulders. Not wanting to be left out, my neck would regularly join the party in sympathy. Sitting for more than 10 minutes was impossible. Lying down provided only relative relief and sleep was always fractured. Constant pain and lack of sleep made me very, very cranky. When I wasn’t limping, my leg would drag and catch on the smallest protrusions; tripping me – not fun.
To avoid permanent nerve damage, I had to have surgery (a micro-discectomy), but the public hospital waiting-list meant another 14 month delay. I lived on a steady diet of anti-inflammatories and painkillers just to get out of bed and shuffle through the day, all the time wondering about the potential damage to my liver and kidneys. This was not what I called a quality of life.
ALL surgery has risks. In my case, I understood that incontinence and even permanent paralysis were real possibilities. To add insult to injury, the planned surgery had no guarantee of pain relief. But after 29 months, I was desperate. I was fortunate though; no complications and no pain. And, I was walking pain free – albeit slowly – on the second day!
That was nearly 9 years ago. Now while the surgery helped a lot for the immediate problem of a bulging disc compressing my sciatic nerve, it couldn’t – on its own – rectify the years of poor posture and weak supporting muscles that WOULD lead to more back trouble.
The turning point in my long battle with chronic and acute back pain came when I read Kit Laughlin’s very practical book: ‘Overcome neck & back Pain‘. His contention is…
‘…that most neck and back pain is experienced in the muscles associated with the spine. The pain is caused by excessive tension in these muscles and is the result of a variety of causes from structural imbalances to carious aspects of lifestyle. These causes CAN be treated.
Except for a very small percentage …which can be treated successfully by surgery or drug therapy, I advocate a conservative, exercise-based approach.’
- Pain-Relieving Rehabilitation Phase
To help identify which muscles are involved and to teach the most efficient ways to relieve the excess tension - Prevention Phase
- Stretching exercises designed to improve and balance our existing flexibility and to locate problem areas
- Graded strengthening exercises, many of which are able to be done at home
The other most valuable addition to my back-management library was: ‘The Complete Guide to the Pilates Method‘ by Allan Menezes. This book reinforced many of Laughlin’s principles principles and provided a wealth of additional exercises (98 in total) to choose from to suit my particular condition and limitations. Particularly useful is the section at the rear that lists movements to be avoided together with those most recommended for different conditions such as:
- posterior disc bulges
- sciatica (on one side or both)
- scoliosis
- lumbar and/or cervical lordosis
Though I admit I could always do more, I now exercise regularly enough to make any back-attacks less frequent and less severe. I also recover much quicker thanks to the rehab/pain relieving exercises which take advantage of a better underlying strength and flexibility.
