Hello, I've been suffering from a "massive" L5/S1 disc protrusion for the last year and have had terrible pain, neurological changes and weakness throughout this time. I saw a surgeon earlier this week who recommended a discectomy, I'm swaying towards having this just to try to escape the daily pain I'm in (although I realise that this is only really a quick-fix and not a long-term benefit). The surgeon also commented that the tone of the muscles on my back was "shocking" and that this is due to deconditioning. He said that I am likely to have trouble with my back for the rest of my life- at 27 this isn't news that I want to hear! Spurred on I bought 8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back, which arrived yesterday. I've been reading it and practising the techniques avidly- I tried sleeping as described in the book last night and woke up with much less pain and stiffness for the first time in months!
What I was wondering is that given the deconditioning of my back muscles, should I first work on building these up with additional excercises and then trying to implement the lessons so as to have a stable point to work from or should I try to increase the muscle tone and do the exercises simultaneously? I want to make sure that I get the back muscles in good condition as this should help my disc and back problems now and in the future. From what I've read deciditioning is common in people with long-term disc problems so this is likely to be helpful for many people with disc problems to know.
Thank you very much,
Kerry
11 years 10 months ago
11/27/2011 - 12:33pm
Sorry I can't speak to the 2nd paragraph as to what to do first - will leave that up to the experts and teachers! Being a novice myself, just completing the 6 classes in intensive workshop, I can provide encouragement - my back pain decreased considerably when doing the stretch lying on my back and I am now sleeping 5-6 hours uninterrupted at night! This alone is worth the price of the book and more! However, I would caution that you don't try to "do it all" in one day! Sometimes the body needs a little time in between to "regroup" - and its a lot to take in in one day! I also felt out of shape so went to the exercises in the back of the book and started working on those to gain strength and flexibility while working on one lesson at a time. I'm sure you'll hear more from the experts! Good luck with this - I wish I had discovered it at 27 - I had already had problems then as well, went to doctors, chiros, acupuncture, etc etc. to no (or limited) avail. It feels empowering to take control of it yourself! I encourage you to hang in there!
12 years 4 months ago
12/09/2011 - 3:57am
Thank you for the words of encouragement! As you say I've tried to pace myself despite my enthusiasm, I'm currently just trying stretch-sitting and -lying. I'm so enthused by this method as it's so much more appealing than filling yourself with tablets (I've reached the point where I'm having to take tablets to counteract the effects of other tablets) or surgery. Taking control of an out of control body is also great.
I'll give the exercises in the back of the book a try then and try to avoid any that hurt.
Thank you!