My Back Pain Journey

Welcome!  If you are reading this you may be one of the billions of people who have back pain at some time in their life.  I’ve been told by a Rothman Institute doctor that if you were to pull 9 out of 10 people off the street and run an x-ray or MRI, you would find disk abnormality!  Why aren’t 9 out of 10 complaining about pain?

I started there after I felt a significant slip and sharp nerve pain after hours of chainsawing.  I had pain for years, but not as significant as that day, so I figured I would ask a doctors opinion.  Actually, come to think of it, I started with physical therapy at 2 different locations (neither helped) so I started asking for references and going to more doctors;  I even went to a special foot doctor that wanted to sell some really ugly shoes.  Eventually I went to Rothman because they advertise and someone I know went there.

The doctor looked at my scans, then he started talking about pain meds and surgery and I zoned out.  I’m not going to rant or discredit doctors; I’m not on the anti vaccination wagon or a conspiracy theorist.  It was a wake up call for more opinions and coaches to guide me in a better direction.

Prior to the major pain, I had had minor problems due to aggressive drumming.  After 3 years of rehearsal, I noticed how unlevel the floor was (over 4 inches across a span of 5 feet!); I was sitting on a throne that was more like a teeter totter and fighting to balance while lifting my lower half (pulling right to overcome the slope) while dancing on the double bass pedals.  I literally have a muscle on one side of my lower back that feels like a golf ball.

I met with a few chiropractors during that period, with recommendation from other drummer friends who swore by them and I felt uneasy by the hype and lack of tangible results.  I felt like I did more harm than good.

I also started buying gadgets.  Some were awesome, others were mildly effective.  I got a foam roller and “Back to Life” (an infomercial woke me up at 3am after falling asleep on an uncomfortable couch with the TV on, I grabbed my credit card and swiped $300 bucks)  They worked but didn’t get to the root of the pain.  I was considering an inversion table but found a new path in all that internet research.

I was introduced to ART (active release technique) and found 2 major mentors in the area.  The first was a chiropractor who actively published and trained on ART.  He helped to identify the anatomy that may have been causing the pain. I also studied a great book, The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook: Your Self-Treatment Guide for Pain Relief, that illustrated the muscles and the causes of pain.  It was amazing to learn how pain could be triggered in far off muscles and the pain was “referred”.

That book lead me to 2 really, and I repeat, really(!) effective tools; a lacrosse ball and the Body Back Company’s Body Back Buddy Pro Sport Trigger Point Self-Massage Tool.  Just rolling on the ball helped to figure out the trigger point and where the pain was referring, and the other contraption (which looks like it should be hidden in a closet when not in use) has 2 sharper radius-es (radii?) that can loosen finer strands of muscle.  I was hooked (pun intended) and ended up over working the trigger points.  There is a learning curve (again intended) and you have to figure out what works for you, and sometimes have to leave it alone and just get some old fashioned rest.

I was also getting involved with yoga and different stretches that focused on the psoas muscle.  Again, I was over stretched and irritated.

This transitioned me to another mentor.  I was determined that I wouldn’t stop until I was “fixed”.  I found there really wasn’t an end-all fix, it was all education, part of the journey, and the repair was mostly mental.  He told me to stop mashing my muscles so much with the lacrosse ball and try a few “nerve gliding” exercises while also stretching and strengthening.  Yeah, yeah, I know, booorrringg; duh it’s so rational and common sense.  It also sounds like work.  But it works!

What’s nerve gliding?  A new term in vogue with the strength and conditioning community according to a google search.  But you know what, the exercise he gave me worked instantly.  Just one.  30 seconds and little-to-no pain.  He also followed up with a few youtube videos and the other exercise worked as strength training.  Here are the 2 exercises that I’ve found to be the most effective, and have eliminated my pain.

I was also doing a lot of static plank-type exercises and I was feeling pretty strong until my daughter was born.

What an amazing experience!  I was on top of the world until I had the extreme nerve pain come back from diaper duty.  I grabbed a weight belt and a baseball to roll on at the nearest Walmart (didn’t have lacrosse balls- which work better with the rubber as friction so it doesn’t slide out; it doubled as my daughters first baseball!) and called my dad on the drive to thank him and ask him how he handled being a dad.  I wasn’t prepared for the 24-7-ness of it.  What an amazing responsibility that everyone tells you about, and you “yeah-yeah-I-know” them, but can’t know until it happens; wow it’s awesome!

So back to working out; but how and when?  On the floor all the time with my daughter!  No problem, those 2 exercises and planks and bam, back to health.

During this time I stumbled upon the Princeton lumbar work out that had all the exercises and a few more that showed me how weak I was in some areas and I was pretty sore the next day.  It takes about 90 minutes if you do it as prescribed; so I did it a few times and abridged to 1 set and only did some exercises on different occasions.

Check it out here.

It’s become a habit and doing it daily keeps me feeling pretty healthy.  I’d love to help anyone out in their back health journey after gaining so much experience and success, which is the reason for this blog.  Please try the 2 exercises and leave a comment; let me know if its improving your situation.  Please take it slow and easy.  God bless!

I’ll be doing my best to post back education articles here.  Please sign up for periodic email updates.