Back Pain Support Group

Hi there,

I'm not sure how this post will be received but I wanted to share my story in the hope that it may help other people. I'm no longer in pain but I remember enough of what it was like when I was in pain to want to help others. I dont mind people sharing my story with others to help them but I do ask that it not be done for profit as I dont seek to make money from sharing but simply hope to help others who are suffering. Maybe you can learn from my story - I hope so.

If its a bit long winded its because I think some of you may be able to relate to particular stages in my thinking and I hope that by seeing where I ended up or what I went through it may make you face what you need to face to get better again.

When I was 23 I moved home from a unit to a house over a fairly large distance. I was working in a sedentary job at the time and not doing that well financially. In an effort to get the removalists to hurry up with their work I helped lift and move stuff that was definately beyond my ability to move - although I didnt know it at the time. I did a small herniation to my L4/L5 disc. I didnt know it at the time. The following day I found it difficult to get out of bed and I was feeling stiff and sore. I put it down to doing too much. Two days later I could get up and there was some small pain which I ignored. I worked for months ignoring the pain and discomfort, gradually finding it more and more difficult to sit for longer periods of time. Eventually it was getting so difficult to sit for any period of time I faced up to the fact I would have to see someone. I decided to go to a local physiotherapist because they had an advertisement about helping with back pain. I went along a bit negative - after all it was costing me a lot of money and I didnt really see what moving my legs around or pushing on my back was going to achieve. I went a few times and got a bit of relief but not enough to justify the cost in my opinion so I gave up and decided to keep trying to live with the pain.

This went on for years. Then one day I twisted in a funny way and found the next morning that I was in a lot of pain. This time I went to my local doctor. He suggested chiropractic care which I tried for at least a year. I would go once every few weeks, the chiropracter lay me down and manipulated my back "Klick" "Klick" I'd hear a few pops and then suddenly the pain and resitricted movement would be much better, for a while and then I would have to go back for another fix to keep going - it was never a long term solution just a way to keep going everyday.

This went on for at least a year, I didnt like having to fork out the money all the time but the chiropracter was very friendly and nice and attractive to boot (I think I had a small crush)and it seemed to help so I kept paying for it. Then after around one year of treatment (maybe longer) suddenly my chiropracter left his practice and moved interstate.

I was sick of paying the money and seemed to get by with around a 1 month break so I stopped going. Time passed and the pain returned, I tried to ignore it and tried some swimming which my chiropracter had recommended may help me to improve. I grew used to a certain level of pain. Slowly it got worse and worse. Work was getting harder to deal with and the constant pain was giving me depression which I didnt know at the time. I decided to leave my job and begin to build a new career. After all I didnt like that job much and life felt so promising - I had a new relationship with a male friend who agreed to help me out a bit. I thought that a change in career could fix my sadness. I was so used to ignoring the pain I didnt even recognise it as pain any more - it was with me all the time.

So I started studying. The extended sitting period aggraveted my back, pain began to be unbearable again. I went to my local doctor again. This time I saw a better doctor who listened to my long case history with my back problem which had now been going on for some years. He recommended I get a CT scan of my lower lumbar area. So off I went - the CT scan came back and showed a disc herniation between L4/L5.
The doctor explained to me I had a disc herniation and that I should see a physiotherapist.

I didnt understand what he was saying really and also wasnt too keen on seeing someone but the pain was so bad I had to do something so off I went unwillingly to the physiotherapist forking out a huge amount of money for a somewhat doubtful benefit. I impatiently explained to the physiotherapist that I had seen a physiotherapist before and that they hadnt done much good but I was seeing another one again because the pain was so bad I needed help. I looked at them impatiently and asked them what they could do to help me.

This time the physiotherapist was a nice friendly mature lady with a gentle caring and helpful nature. She gently explained to me that I now have a permanent condition which meant I should never lift heaby weights again. I listened and then dismissed her advice - Looking back I was in denial and didnt realise how serious my injury was. She told me about manipulative physiotherapy and had a machine which made my back tingle, and she gave me a few exercises to do. Well I tried it and it did help a bit with the pain. Unfortunately it was fairly similar to the chiropractor, I became dependant on the physiotherapist to lead a relatively normal life. The only relief from pain (I refused to continually take pain killers) was from the therapy she gave me and fairly soon after the pain would return. The gaps between treatments slowly became wider and wider apart as I reached tolerable levels of pain again. I stopped doing the exercises because they were a pain to do and I didnt need to do them anymore - at least so I thought. Eventually I decided to stop going - after all it was costing me a lot of money and I seemed to be doing ok most of the time. So that was that.

A year or two passed and the pain and stiffness slowly returned to higher and higher levels which I continually tried to ignore. Then one day I lifted something that was way too heavy. The following day I had difficulty driving the car back to the place I was studying at. Suddenly I had extreme pain sitting and walking became difficult. I knew then I had done something to my back - something serious. I went back to the physiotherapist to get her help. She anxiously had me lie down and attached me to the 'tingle' machine. I realised that I couldnt feel one side of my back and was suddenly very scared. She kept saying that perhaps I should see a doctor and after realising I couldnt feel part of my back I agreed maybe I should.

I went to see a doctor again, explained that I was in a bit of pain (I was in a lot but I was so used to ignoring it) and that I couldnt feel part of my back. She sent me off to get a CT scan. I got one the following day. A day or so later the pain was so bad all I could do was lie on the floor I couldnt get up to get a drink because the pain was so bad, going to the toilet was practically unbearable. My flatmate was exasperated when I desperately asked them to pass me some food or a drink when they got home from work. Perhaps we were both in denial about how bad my condition was. I got the CT scan, the results were sent to the doctor. I went back to see the doctor she was surprised to find my lying down outside her room, I couldnt sit in a chair. I had nagged my flatmate into driving me there early as possible - I simply couldnt stand the pain. She saw the results of my scan and told me to go to an emergency department in hospital. It turned out I had badly herniated L4/L5 and had a disc bulge on L5/S1.

I'm getting sick of being long winded so I'm going to summarise the rest.

The neurosurgeon in Emergency tested my numbness and decided that it was not appropriate to operate. I was given a prescription for anti - infammatory medication to reduce swelling which would help with the pain which was caused by the disc pressing on my nerves inbetween vertebrae in my spine. This worked pretty well.

In the following period I went to see another doctor who referred me to another physiotherapist she was more pushy with me which I appreciated because I didnt feel the first physiotherapist had been assertive enough with me in the first place, but she didnt really do anything different for me. She gave me some exercises to do which I did for a while and then again did manipulative physiotherapy which I relied on for a while. These gave me enough relief so that after 1 year I thought I was better enough to get a job. I got a job walking because sitting was still an uncomfortable experience. My regular physiotherapist left to go overseas and I stopped seeing a physiotherapist.

I worked for a while and the pain was manageable I came off the medication. Then one day I leant forward to reach something and did something to my back again. The following day I rested up and was very cautious. I took it easy for a week and was careful with things, my flatmate was more considerate this time round and helped me out a bit. A week passed and the pain was managable so I went to see a local physiotherapist. I walked there carrying a fairly heavy bag. She did manipulative physiotherapy on me but pushed on my spine in places where I hadnt been touched before during this sort of treatment. When she put me on the tingle machine again I couldnt feel a part of my back (this problem has gone away before now).

She took me home in her car in some concern that I may have done more damage to my back. The following day I couldnt move - the pain was incredible. I cant remember too much around this period now its pretty fuzzy - I couldnt get up to go to the toilet (I'll leave the details to your imagination) it was awful. I saw another doctor maybe I went to hospital again This time the Neurosurgeon got me to get a MRI. The doctor I saw this time was a good doctor who really helped me. I explained my long history with my back problems and he recommended a good sports physiotherapist - this was the beginning on a new lease on life - a long journey but a very worthwhile one.

This doctor and physiotherapist explained very clearly how serious my injury was that I would never be able to lift more than 10kgs again. Finally I faced up to the fact I had a serious injury and condition which I needed to deal with. I realised I had been denying and ignoring the pain for years rather than deal with the problem. I was in so much pain and has such difficulty walking I was ready to do anything I was told to get any sort of relief. The physio didnt do any manipulative therapy on me but gave me some gentle exercises to do and told me to do hydrotherapy.

The hydrotheraphy in the pool, initially very difficult and painful to do became part of my only partial relief from pain. The only other time I could almost tolerate things was when I was lying down. I did some pain management with my doctor and eventually got onto some strong enough medication so I could deal with the daily pain. I slept most of those days away - stuck inside lying on the floor of a room for months. Walking was too difficult for any distance longer than 5 minutes. My flatmate made lunch for me everyday before they left for work, left me drinks so I could drink something during the day. And made dinner when they got home from work. I had the phone near me all day in case anything happened where I needed help.

It took months but the hydrotherapy worked. Gradually I built up strength in my abdominal muscles to take some of the strain away from my herniated disc and slowly the disc bulge began to heal.

I followed my physiotherapists advice religiously doing exercises even though it was painful and often seemed pointless and slowly but surely I improved, I got stronger. When my physio thought I was ready he suggested pilates with a recognised pilates international studio - not an individual pilates trainer because the pilates people in the international studios are more thorough than those outside.

I got a good pilates trainer who I regularly saw and developed a rapport with. Now I saw the physio less regularly as he saw me for checkups and not for any manipulative physiotherapy, he just modified the exercises I had to do everyday depending on my status at the time. Pilates became an enjoyable exercise, I learnt that walking for at least 15 minutes without stopping is needed to get good nutrients to the disc in my back. I learnt that there may have been some nutrient deficency which caused my disc to weaken due to my sedentary lifestyle and lack of regular walking. I learnt to enjoy exercise because it released me from pain. I learnt to do regular exercise in the pool to help my back and regular walking for at least 1/2 hour a week preferably everyday.

I cant lift more than 10 kgs now, I have difficulty bending, I dont enjoy sitting for extended periods. And my work can career options have been limited to ones where there is no lifting and hopefully little need for extended sittting. I have been out of work for 3 years and I havent been able to drive a car for 3 years.

These days I live without pain which is wonderful but also dangerous. I can see myself slipping back into old habits of a sendentary lifestyle so writing this story has been a good warning reminder for me as well as hopefully a warning and prompt to you to face your injury/condition find out more about it and to encourage you to take responsibility for it before you get to the stage I reached.

I never want to be that sick again, I came so close to needing fusion surgery and only avoided it through long painful rehabilitation. I was dependant on others and still am for my survival and I dont know when I will be able to look after myself financially again. I may never reach a similar level of earning potential to the one I had before my injury worsened. I have been living in constant fear of doing it again and this time I have no one who can help me if I get sick.

I hope this is a timely warning for you. Take back pain seriously. Dont settle for short term fixes, regular carefully focused exercise is the only solution. See your doctor, listen to what they say - if you dont understand what it means ask questions until you do. Research other people who have had your condition and ask them what helped them - listen and read others experiences with a critical ear. Find a good physiotherapist - someone who will help you to manage your own health not someone to prop you up in bad habits. Seek the best permanent solution available to you.

Please feel free to message me if you have any questions that you think I may be able to help with. I wish you all the best on your journey - I'm sure others have been through worse. I have found some peace and release from pain I hope you can too.

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The pain I initially had was shooting pains down my right leg on sitting and a constant dull ache on the lower right lower lumbar spine area.
When I herniated my disc more severely my i had numbness and some tingling down my legs due to nerve compression. Pain was caused due to swelling which caused muscle spasms anti infammatories helped.

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The proper term for my L4/L5 disc injury was a disc prolapse, tore the disc and the inner contents of the disc squished out into my spinal column becoming a large ball pressing on serveral nerve roots.

When I was at my worst I was taking Oxycontin, Andep and Vioxx. I cant remember how much and think I've got the names right.

The medication took the edge off the pain, but I was still in a lot of pain. I had difficulty walking and my partner helped me into the car. I used to lie down on the passengers side with the seat all the way back in a lying down position. The only place I could exercise in was the hydrotherapy pool at a local hospital, walking was extremely painful even with all the medication I was taking. He would help me into the pool room and then I used the bars etc to get into the pool. Once in the pool I could walk with less pain - but I was still in pain.

Hydrotherapy was my main form of exercise when I was bad - and I had some very gentle exercises given by my pt.

As I improved I did more pt exercises of increasing difficulty and then gradually worked up to a point where I could stand and walk for short periods.

I couldnt walk very far so we got a treadmill, one that could go very slow and steady with handles and an emergency stop strap. You need to be careful with treadmills because they can cause bad posture to a fragile back - its important to keep your abdominal muscles really tight to compensate for the kick as your foot lifts and is dragged backwards rapidly. The treadmill had a very springy surface which took a lot of the shock of impact away which was good and also enabled me to walk until i was too tired at which point i simply got off and lay down.

I continued with hydrotherapy, pt and the treadmill for a while till i got stronger then i started walking outside.

Eventually and this took quite a while (I cant remember how long) I reached a point where my physio recommended pilates. He recommended a Pilates Int studio because they are the ones who train others and they have the best pilates trainers.

I took my MRI and xrays to the Pilates Int studio so they could see exactly where the problem was. I carefully spoke with them until I was certain they understood my injury, my pt or physiotherapist also spoke with the first trainer i had who used to be a physiotherapist or pt.

Initially when I started pilates there were some times where one of the exercises wouldnt agree with my back and I would be sore for a few days. After a bit of experimenting and some painful days my pilates trainer (i tried to stick with the same one all the time) found a routine that I could do without triggering too much pain.

Slowly we built up my strength and as I improved they gave me progressively harder exercises to do. I was actively aware during the whole process. If I remembered something causing a painful episode I would go to my pt and ask them why it happened, I gradually learnt with his help what my back was capable of and then closely worked with the pilates trainer to avoid exercises that could cause me unessecary pain. Sometimes my pt would say you may feel some pain but you need to do this - in those cases I would work through the pain.

I would avoid an elliptical machine because it causes too much movement of the pelvis which will lead to pain. A treadmill is a much better choice as long as you are always aware to keep your tummy pulled in (tighten your abs) as much as possible while walking on it and keep your eyes focused on the distant wall in front of you - not down (its a postural thing).

To pull your tummy in take a deep breath in watch your stomach expand then through the lips slowly and forcefully exhale while drawing your tummy as close to your spine as possible. Keep your tummy in this position and breathe in your upper rib area.

The muscles that contract when you breathe out in this fashion are the muscles that you need to get really strong. Called your core muscles.

Not the muscles that look like a six pack but your deep internal abdominal muscles. I've forgotten their exact names. If you can get these muscles nice and strong they will compensate your dodgy back especially if it is a disc injury and take some of the load away from your discs, leading to (for some people) a permanent relief from pain.

I tended to choose a session with a pilates trainer who was very through and then tried to stick with the same trainer as much as possible.

They kept telling me that they are all the same - but I didnt believe that. Some pilates trainers are more precise than others.

Pilates should be seen as a final stage in your recovery - not a first step. I would first recommend seeing a personal trainer (physiotherapist) talk to them about pilates and your back condition and see what they say.

Also - see my recommendation on a good physical therapist/physiotherapist.

Hilaryduff - I can relate to what you are going through, in the earlier stages of my recovery i went through several flareups. I found that as I grew stronger the flareups werent as bad and didnt take as long to get over.

Hope this helps people - take care I wish you all the best.

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After doing Pilates for a while I got to the point where I wasnt in pain all the time - and I could stop the medications. I am now pain free and experience occassional stiffness.