laminectomy

My name is Sheila Bond, and I am an artist, knit and jewelry designer, and an art teacher. I am also the mother of four sweet kids. In this blog post I would like to share with you my Gokhale Method® journey out of pain and despair. On May 6 2022 I severely herniated the spinal disc between my L4/L5 vertebrae. In addition I had developed bursitis in my left hip during the previous three months, I believe from sitting improperly teaching online classes. It happened on the Friday before Mother’s Day. By Saturday morning I could barely move and thought I might die or at the very least never recover. I ordered a TENS unit (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, a mild electrical current to give pain relief) from Walgreens, bought Salonpas patches too, and a walking cane. I took three Advil or two extra strength Tylenol alternating every six-hours hours. I had previously herniated my L4/L5 in 2015, and had a laminectomy (a surgical operation to remove part of the back of vertebrae, usually to relieve pressure on nerves.) That surgery had left me still in terrible pain. When I told the surgeon I was still in pain in my tailbone/sacrum area, he told me he could operate on my tailbone. I declined. Following surgery I also went to physical therapy for a year and a half. It gave me more pain than it took away.

 

 

 

Anissa Morgan is 46 years old and was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. In her own words, her relationship with her body has “always been a little messed up.” She didn’t like how she looked. Growing up, her mom frequently told her that she was slouching and "should pull her shoulders back," anecdotal posture advice many of us have heard.

In adulthood, Anissa spent some time in the Army Reserves as a petroleum specialist. The military approach to posture reinforced what she’d heard from her mom in childhood: that she “shouldn’t be slouching and that everything should look ‘a certain way.’” In her job, she would deliver fuel to military vehicles such as airplanes, cars, and trucks. She

We set a high bar for our six-lesson Gokhale Method Foundations course. We expect our students will 

Sit, stand, walk, lie, and bend in new (old!) and better waysExperience significantly less pain and more functionExpect more from their body and life. Use the word “life-transforming” somewhere in their evaluation forms.

Even with this high bar, a student sometimes surprises us with the extent or speed of their progress over the course. Abigayil Tamara is one such student - here is her story. 

My Experience With the Gokhale Method
~Abigayil Tamara, MA, MSW

I looked into the Gokhale Method after someone in a grocery store told me how much it had helped his mother. 

My back issues began over 34 years