How many of you out there have an injury? How many of you push your pain or discomfort to the way, way, WAY back burner? (Oh look it's China!) That was me. To a point it still is. The doc's know I have a torn disk in my neck which is causing nerve pain, tension headaches, and migraines all rolled into 1 GIANT "I can't function to save my life because it lasts for 2 - 3 days" pain in the neck- pun intended. I have found a great chiropractor, acupuncturist, and moksha yoga. The combination has helped tremendously. So," great", I thought " the worst is behind me". What is that saying about speaking too soon?
Now, my lower back never bothered me until my 3rd pregnancy; sweetest baby- hardest pregnancy. Long story short; bed rest + 2 weeks early induction= my angel; my calm in the sibling storm except when she IS the storm...
Anyway, back to point. I'd get pain or my back would go out sporadically. No biggie; I just dealt with it. Well, now the table has turned and the sporadic part is when I'm not in pain. It sucks. It can get pretty scary when people want to shove needles into your spine and hint about surgery. It's EVEN scarier when you consider it.
Right about now you might be asking why am I sharing my pity party with you? It's so #1 you know you're not alone. It's okay to admit you might need help or even that it's okay to put yourself first for once. #2 You're not crazy. When pain is chronic (lasting longer than 6 weeks) it's not normal. Your body is trying to tell you that something is wrong. LISTEN, listen, put down the cell phone and listen to it. #3 There are a lot of treatment options for every type of injury. If you have an open mind you might find the answer to you particular problem. Acupuncture may sound scary; but it's not. nor is it painful. #4 Do your own research, ask a lot of questions, and don't be afraid to tell a doctor "no". In my case they all jumped to spinal injections. This route dealt with the pain and not the problem. I want the problem fixed so that the pain never comes back. I might end up getting the injections at a later date. If I do it will because I choose to. #5 Be creative. My spine surgeon would look at me crazy for using yoga as a treatment plan, but for me it works.
Now back to your regularly scheduled program.