When The Back Pushes Back

 

Around a few weeks ago, I sensed some discomfort from my lower left back.  Must have been all the sitting down, bad posture, and occasional, or should I say frequent, twists to crack my back joints and relieve pressure.

The only thing those did was give me a momentary feeling of relief, and set me up for something far more sinister.

Which I noticed when I was having difficulty sitting down.

Which then became difficulty standing up, walking, lying down, twisting my body.  It was such an effort to move.  Pain would start from the sensation of something getting pinched in my back, shooting all the way to the outside of my left knee.

What pain.

I missed my exercise routine, and immediately felt sad that I was unable to do it without too much pain.  I tried though, but it only made it a bit worse.

And to make things a bit more challenging, the position that gave me the most comfort, was standing straight up.

Ow.

You never really know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone.

It was a hard lesson to learn.  Up until the discomfort and the sharp pain, I’ve been doing my exercises regularly.  I was even working on stretching more so I can finally reach my toes.

And then this happens.

I’ve always made sure to do squats, as advised by a friend of mine who is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist.  I wanted to lay the foundations that I’ll still be able to walk into my 80’s.

And due to a few bad decisions, and me being unaware of what I was doing, I was robbed.  Even the basic ability of walking was such an ordeal for me.  I couldn’t take a single step without pain shooting from my lower back to my knee.

There really are times when we take things for granted.  Things that can be basic, a given, for us to be able to do and to get.  The ability to stand, to walk, eat and enjoy a meal, speak, or hear, or be in the midst of great company.

These pleasures and abilities become so automatic for us that, sometimes, we don’t give strengthening and care for them a second thought.  These things will always be there for me, because I’ve been blessed with them.

Yes, we have been blessed with them, but whether we take care of them, and value them, can contribute to whether it gets taken away from us or not.

And I had so many planned to do this week as well.  Unfortunately, most of them in front of a computer – sitting down.

If there’s a will, there’s a way

And it’s really all about finding ways to make the most of what you have and got as of the moment.

I’m actually typing this out standing up right now, using a borrowed old laptop.  If I wasn’t doing this standing up, I would be doing this lying down.

I had to meet several people the days before, and these were meeting I wanted to go to, and people I enjoyed being with.

Well, I rescheduled the ones that can be rescheduled.  As for that one big event?

Face the pain, and just go do it.

And I’m actually happy that I got to go to that event. I learned so much, and got to be around inspiring people.  I also appreciate the speaker who confessed that he was a big nerd.  Nerds unite!

It’s not a sign of weakness to ask for help

After twisting and stretching myself in various directions, and using a “wait and see” approach didn’t help, it was time to go see somebody who knew about this.

So I then went to see a chiropractor.

Just entering the building was so humbling for me, as I had to ask for help from somebody so I wouldn’t fall from the pain, and slowly I made my way up.

But when he took a look at me before treatment, already he noticed I wasn’t walking straight, and proceeded to “fix me up” in his language.

He also gave tips and exercises to get the muscles loose and normal again, and to help alleviate pain and    suffering of someone who had a misaligned spine.

Especially since I’m in a lot of pain, it becomes then important and easier for me to ask for help.  But let’s face it, a lot of people, even though they are in a lot of personal, emotional, and even physical pain, don’t.

We sometimes feel that we can do it all by ourselves, and that we don’t need the help and input of other people.

It actually takes more strength to be open and show vulnerability, than to remain closed and safe.

Stay in the struggle, and value what you’ve got

There’s still pain now, and there’s still discomfort when I walk, or twist, or lie down and sit.  Part of me is cautious that the pain might come back.  Part of me is anxious and I keep doing the stretching exercises to recover faster.

But these things can take time, and I’ve also got to allow my body and muscles to recover and repair the damage that has been dealt to them.

So for the meantime, though it’s difficult, I’ve got to take it a bit easy, and keep on doing the exercises given to me.

I admit, I looked for a quick fix, as do we all.  Wouldn’t our lives be easier if everything was just solved in an instant, and served on a silver platter?

Then, if that was the case, we wouldn’t learn the true value of taking care.  Of growth, nurturing, and the time needed for maturity and transformation.

As well as the time needed for something to be so valuable.

It’s a struggle, but I want to walk normally again, and get to being in better physical shape.

And what we struggle through, in the end, shapes who we are.

Count your blessings, and be thankful for them.

Value them, and take care of your blessings.

Take care of what you’ve got and want to keep.

So when the time comes, you can count on them to come through for you.