My Aching Back

A few weeks ago I "threw out" my back, which a lot of people seemed to think was funny ..... like, how can Chiropractor hurt her back? Does a Dentist not get cavities? Do Dermatologists never have moles or warts? Do Cardiologists never have heart problems? Do Obstetricians never have babies? OK, that last one may be going a little bit far... but the point is, yes my back was killing me and it wasn't fun.

When telling the story, most people remember only the fact that I was picking up a piece of paper and think that is how I hurt it. When in reality, I was lifting heavy weights the day before, then that morning (a Sunday), I was moving stuff around in my garage, bent over at all sort of angles, twisted myself, and probably did not use my body in the best possible way. But when my cleaning project was completed in the garage, I was happy it was done and left to go upstairs. As I did, I saw a piece of paper on the ground and bent down to pick it up. And that is when it happened: "rip" and ooohh it hurt.

I went to stand up straight and knew that wasn't going to happen, so down I went on my hands and knees. I crawled around for a minute or so, and eventually got back up but the damage was done. This wasn't a minor pull, but a bad one and it didn't go away quickly. I've had this happen before, but it has been months or maybe even years since it felt this bad. In the past when I aggravated my back, I'd get adjusted and stretch it out, and it got better within a day. Not this time, I could tell it wasn't good.

If you have ever talked to me about my back, you know I use to have real bad back problems (L5 disc issues), and these days, I manage it well with weekly (or every other week) adjustments, massages, regular exercises and stretches. Those all make a huge difference and if I stop doing any of them, my back grabs me. Fortunately, I know this well by now and typically do a good job of keeping up with everything to prevent it from happening (a majority of the time).

So,why did it happen this time? No reason for sure, but it certainly wasn't from picking up a piece of paper or even moving things around in the garage. It was probably because I hadn't been massaged in a few months, plus I had rushed through my stretching routine after my runs, and my adjustment schedule was very irregular. Things just got in the way, and I neglected myself to a small degree, and now I was paying the consequences. Luckily, I had two student interns from Life University in the office, who did most of the adjusting for me for the two days I was in pain. A few adjustments later, a massage, stretches and time all got the back feeling better within a week.

So there, I am human. I am real. I have back problems too, just like many of you. I know how to manage it and usually do a good job with it. How about you? Are you managing your health and spine properly? Are you getting adjusted regularly? Are you stretching consistently? Are you exercising and getting massaged, all which will help you in many ways? If not, you should really consider it, so the next time you hurt yourself (if at all), you recover fast instead of it taking weeks. Your body and health should be your most prized possession, not a car, or a house, or a boat. Your own body. It cannot be replaced. Take care of it and it will take care of you.