Friday, May 14, 2010

Oh, My Aching Back...

So it's happened. For years, I've flitted about, pain-free, surrounded by people who have bad backs. This person can't help move furniture into a truck because of an old car accident injury; that person can't get down on the floor without help getting up because of a ten year old golf injury. This person has a slipped disk and has had three surgeries. Me? Awesome back! Here, let me lift that for you! Hold on, I'll pick that up, no problem! Until...

Some time last week, I have no idea when or how, my perfect back record snapped. And apparently something in my lower back did, too. Now I spend most of my day feeling like a small woodland creature is trying to bore its way through my tailbone and about 75% of the time, when I move (and I mean at all, in any way), my lower back seizes up in a most unpleasant way. Getting in and out of a car? That's going to hurt. Getting up out of a chair? Yeah, that's going to hurt. Rolling over in bed? Don't even try it, sister. Picking Ethan up? Only if your idea of fun is a searing hot pain wrapping around your lower back and squeezing like a boa constrictor (clearly my flair for hyperbole is loving this).

I don't know if it's muscular, or a nerve-issue, or if I wrenched it in my attempts at running in the past few weeks, or what it is. I just know it's agony. I spent an hour today in a "gentle yoga" class and it actually was helpful, in the moment. My back let me do everything I asked of it, albeit in on a very beginner, not all that flexible sort of way. But it felt so good to be back in a dimly-lit room, listening to plinky-plunky music, focusing on my breath and asking my body to quietly bend and twist.

Now? As I sit in this coffee shop? My lower back is saying to me, apparently in lowerbackese, "WHATTHEFUCKwereyouthinking???! I hurt! Don't twist me, dumbass!!!"

Message received loud and clear, back. Thanks.

So now it's off to research chiropractors in the area. And people, I have an irrational terror of chiropractics. Too many action movies where the heroes snap peoples' necks with one twist. The idea of a chiropractor "adjusting" me makes me twitchy and fearful for my life in a "what if they adjust too enthusiastically?! Are they going to snap my neck right off?! GAHHHHH!!!" sort of way.

But everyone I know swears by their chiropractors fixing their lives. Even Husband gushes over his last chiropractor and the massage therapist who worked for him. So I am going to have to take a LOT of deep breaths and a huge leap of faith and let a chiropractor at my back because something in there is all kinds of messed up and I have to take care of it ASAP.

I didn't realize that you basically use your back for every single movement you make all.day.long. Um. Ouch.








4 comments:

Unknown said...

Sorry about your back. As a self-snapper of my back and neck, even I am freaked out when my chiro does my neck. They can flex you manually, or take the extra few moments and use a different device on your neck to work out the kinks they are looking for. the manual adjustment kinda echos in your head and decided to use the gizmo.

I don't know if the chiro has helped me. My original concern was muscular and sounds like yours is the same, where the muscle is going to flex now, and not let go. Delightful.


Keep up with the yoga though, it will help stretch it out.

NOTE: disclaimer, like parental advice, this is what worked for me. Mileage may vary. No animals were harmed in the making of this posting.

lonek8 said...

let me assure you that I feel your pain - literally. I have never been to the chiropractor for my lower back issues, but i have gone for neck/shoulder issues and the massive headaches they caused. I have a long history or cracking my back so i wasn't worried that they would crack anything off, but it didn't even matter because they used this clicky thing (called an activator) which was just a light tapping on points in my back - didn't feel like anything but it definitely helped. Especially if oyu can go regularly to maintain it until it fully relaxes. Also good to follow up with massage if you are really tight - prevents the tight muscles from pulling you back out of alignment. Hopefully if you can get this particular spasm under control, then with yoga you can maintain it from ever going out again. Or just give up and we can hobble around together like old ladies. good luck - love ya!

Crafty is the new black said...

old lady.

:)

Grandma Bear said...

Welcome to our world but so sorry to read that you Yhave joined us.
When I was your age, yoga usually did the trick and undid the spasm, especially the postures that stretch the spine. However, it is helpful, once you find a chiropractor, to have X-ray films that s/he can look at. It is important to find the right chiropractor, so get recommendations.