I’ve decided to whine and complain about the painful back problems I have been having for the better part of a year. My pain started when my baby, Nash, was about 3 months old. I noticed during his feedings in the middle of the night that I was very slumped over while holding him while he ate, and that slumped-over posture stuck with me throughout the day. By the time I noticed my posture, my back muscles were sore and my shoulders rotated forward permanently.
Nash got very heavy, very fast and my pain escalated. My muscles had the same soreness in them as they do after a hard workout with weights. When you lift weights on a certain body part, you are supposed to give it ample time to heal and rest before you work the same body part. Since I couldn’t put my baby down and let my body rest, I was at a loss and the pain got worse.
Not only did I have to lay off my upper body workouts at the gym, I had to stop running. Running is an activity I have enjoyed my whole life; it clears my head and it makes me strong mentally. Each run is an emotional experience for me and I have physical confidence because of how it makes my body look. Giving up running has crushed me and my spirit. I ran my first half marathon when Nash was 6 months old, and shortly after that is when my back pain was triggered by running. Weightlifting, plyometrics, HIIT all triggered my back pain and I had to give everything up.
Slowly, my pain started ruining my quality of life. I couldn’t reach for things or twist like normal anymore. I couldn’t check my blind spot when I drove. I would wake up several times in the middle of the night stiff as a board; knots were everywhere in my back and neck/shoulder area and as of about the last month, I can’t hold myself completely upright without consciously reminding myself all day long.
I’ve gone to the doctor. He gave me steroids (they helped) and some muscle relaxers (which I don’t like because they make me exhausted before they help my pain). This doctor also prescribed me physical therapy, which in my mind is just more activity for my back, so I opted out of that. The catch was, if I didn’t do physical therapy, my health insurance wouldn’t cover an MRI so I was shit out of luck. I tried yoga. Yoga helps my shoulders and makes my whole body feel amazing, so I continue to practice yoga, I just don’t do many twists. I’ve gone to the chiropractor and adjustments began to be very painful. I’ve used Biofreeze and all sorts of herbal rubs and creams. The only answer for me has been to just deal with it until Nash is completely walking and my back can finally rest. (Yeah right).
The light at the end of the tunnel is that my fiancé asked a friend of ours who has connections with some different doctors in our area if he would step in and help me get an MRI. This friend set me up with a sports injury doctor who will order me an MRI after an examination and will help me out when it comes to the insurance issue. My examination is tomorrow and I’m really ready to get this show on the road for some real answers. I am too active of a person, and too young for this kind of pain to let it continue.
I want my life back. I want to workout. I want to run. Boo hoo.
Take Care of Yourself!
HPK
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