What I’m Doing for an Injured Back. Learning from Life in My 40’s.
My story of a back injury and how I’m learning to live with it in my 40’s.
The plan this week was for Dave and I to follow-up from our last video, and to finish talking about hormones in our 40’s, and most importantly “what can we do about them?” (the million dollar question.) The plan, however, has changed due to Dave going back to a busy week at work, and simultaneously getting a man-cold. (seriously. and we thought menopause was bad.)
I promise we’ll get to that video after Dave gets off work one day soon, or at the very latest in two weeks when he comes up for air. Thanks for grace.
Meanwhile, let’s talk about me. Haha. Just kidding. I honestly have wanted to share this story with you for a long time, but cringe at the thought of coming across as complaining or wanting attention. I am only sharing this with you because I’m pretty sure many of you will relate, and for those who don’t — I’d love to save you some pain by sharing my story along with some helpful steps you can take to avoid it becoming your story.
HISTORY: I grew up doing competitive gymnastics (and then all of the team sports in my high school years) so I don’t know when I initially hurt my back. My guess is that landing on my skinny-kid-butt from the uneven bars or balance beam one too many times might have done some damage. (I can still feel the bruised tailbone when I think about it, ouch!) Regardless, somewhere in my 20’s I began to have pain off and on in my low back, which occasionally would shoot into my left gluts and leg. As a fitness instructor at a gym, doing a lot of aerobic and strength conditioning classes, most of the time the pain was manageable.
PROBLEMS: Since we moved to the country (and far from a gym) over 6 years ago, my main workout has been running and walking, along with some basic hand weights for resistance work. I have rarely done any abdominal or strength work. Though I preach core work (remember my abdominals post?) I really neglected to do much of it. #guilty
Two years ago, my back pain increased and this time it did not go away. It began to affect sitting, bending, standing for any length of time, and would even wake me up, aching in the night. Eventually, the pain was going into my left leg more and more, and for a time I had tingling and numbness in my left foot. I continued to run off and on, unsure if running actually made my pain worse. Other things seemed to affect it more than running (like the day I sat, bent over doing puzzles with Levi for many hours; the next day I could hardly move.) I went to a Physical therapist, but the therapist wasn’t sure what she was working on, so we didn’t have a clear game plan and my pain did not improve.
Finally, about a year ago, Dave suggested I get an MRI of my spine. Dave and the orthopedic surgeon took one look at the results and could see it plainly; A full disc herniation in L5-S1. But of more concern was that the bright white semi-circle pattern running through both L5 and at the top of the S1 vertebra, which signals inflammation in the bones. This is likely a sign of degeneration. The simple explanation for this would be that due to the disc herniating (which could have happened any time in the past, and would explain the pain down the legs and the tingling toes) there was no longer cushion between L5 and S1, and now I was bone-on-bone…This can exasperate degeneration, and begin the process of arthritis.
**You can see ^^ the disc between the L5 and S1 is really small. This was taken while lying down, so as you can imagine when I am standing up (or running) that tiny bit of disc doesn’t do any cushioning. (I should also note here that a disc herniation itself is not super uncommon; some people have herniated discs and don’t even know it! The problem is if nerves are impinged, or bones begin to degenerate, as in my case.)
The orthopedic surgeon did not have much to offer. He said that surgery is one option; he could fuse my two vertebrae (L5 and S1) together, which would decrease the bone-on-bone issue. He said that for women of my age and fitness level, this is highly successful; in fact there is an 80% decrease in pain for 80% of women like me facing these issues. However, to do this surgery, he would have to go in through my stomach, try to avoid my aorta (yikes!) and fuse the vertebra together.
I’d really rather not.
I’ve definitely been torn on this issue: On one hand, I can walk fine, I can drive a car, and sleep most of the time without pain. Basically, I can live with this. However, my pain affects things like: putting on shoes, picking things up off the floor (any mom knows how much we do that!) and any quick movements, like catching a ball, or playing with my boys. (Also if you see me getting up from the ground, you’ll agree I move like a 90 year-old.) (waah.)
But weighing out the pros and cons, I haven’t felt like my pain is bad enough to get surgery. So I have lived with this for the last year, waiting to see what happens. Things have not changed much, and though I can do almost everything I need to do, it’s been a bit depressing to consider this may be how I feel for the rest of my life. Chronic pain? I never thought I’d face it in my 40’s!
UP TO DATE: Recently I went to another Physical Therapist. I found a place that specializes in sports injuries and I really love it there. (If you’re in Hawaii, it’s JACO Rehab.) Since we now have the MRI and a better understanding of what I am dealing with, I hoped the PT might be able to educate me on the best way to strengthen, stretch, and basically learn to live with my problem.
After five sessions of PT, I am truly encouraged. My therapist gave me a set of exercises and stretches; these are both for strengthening my core and gluteus (butt) muscles, and for stretching the areas that are super tight around my injury. What she taught me would be safe and effective and helpful for anyone. (As always, if you have back problems, see your own doctor to get help and advice.) I’ll share what I’m doing below.
MY THEORY: I am pretty sure that I have had back issues, and likely a bulging (if not herniated) disc for many years. However, I believe that during the years in which I taught fitness, I was doing so much core and gluteal work that to a large extent it supported and even protected my spine. It was only after moving to the country and all but quitting my core work that things started to fall apart. Pair that with being in my mid-forties and in general losing some muscle tone, and the combination put me in a very vulnerable place.
MY CURRENT WORKOUTS: My physical therapist suggested that I need not quit running entirely, unless it was increasing my pain, so the happy news is, I am continuing to run some. I only run short distances (3-4 miles, max) and I take a day or two in between each run. Then as many days a week as I can, this is what I do:
CORE: I am doing pilates-style abdominal work, with a focus on strengthening my deepest abdominal muscles (the rectus abdominus). I am working on slow, controlled movements and I have a routine of about 4 different ways I work the abs: a basic plank, side planks, and pilates-style crunches done a few different ways using a band.
GLUTS: For my gluts I do a simple bridge: lying on my back with bent knees, I press my feet into the ground, lift my hips up off the floor, then lift each foot for a count of five. Taking a break between sets, I try to do 5-10 sets of these. I also am working on some variations of lunges, with an intentional focus on working the gluts (instead of letting my quads and hamstrings do the work.) I am working towards using a band around my ankles to do side steps, though at this point this seems to irritate my back, so I’m building up to that. Starting slow, simple and consistent is hard for me, but I think it is the key to getting me where I need to go.
STRETCHING: I am stretching my piriformis (one of the deep gluteal muscles, often tight in runners) by sitting down on the ground, and crossing one foot over the other knee, and gently lifting the bottom leg. I also roll out my piriformis on a foam roller or small fitness ball. I am also rolling out my entire back on a foam roller. (apparently my thoracic spine is super rigid, which is likely contributing to my issues.) I have Dave massage my para-spinal muscles (the tiny muscles all along my spine, at and above my area of pain) which is really helpful. These tend to get tight as they are trying to “protect” my area of injury.
FINALLY: Though I am not pain-free at this point, I feel like my core is stronger than it’s been in years, and I have a game plan — which in itself makes me feel more in control. The PT said that I can get back to doing some yoga, but certain movements (forward flexion) would not be wise, so I need to modify what I do. Pilates is excellent and I hope to learn more ways to incorporate pilates into my routine.
My story is not necessarily isolated to life in our 40’s, but I am pretty sure that any injury that has begun in our body will start talking to us when we hit this season of life…It’s part of the aging process. (ugh.) I really want to encourage everyone (man, woman and child–seriously, I’m making my boys do this stuff!) to take their core strength seriously. I read somewhere that a legit test for someone’s overall fitness level is their core strength! That is heavy!
Whether you have back issues or not, I suggest you make core training a part of your regular fitness routine. A Pilates instructor friend of mine suggested this site where you can take pilates classes from home, though a private pilates instructor is always the best way to get started. Also, here are two online articles outlining basic pilates movements for back problems (many of them I described above!)
5 Pilates Exercises to Ease and Prevent Back Pain (Prevention.com.)
9 Pilates Exercises for Back Pain (VeryWell)
Comment below!? Weigh in on your own back story, if you have one…Share if you do Pilates, or other core work. If you are managing chronic pain, back injuries or anything else, feel free to tell us about it. Hopefully we can encourage each other to grow older with grace, and strength!
Aloha and see you soon (hopefully with a handsome doctor by my side.)
XO
Monica
Hopefully it goes without saying that I realize that my back problems are SO SMALL in the bigger picture of life. Like I said before, I reeeealy am not into drama, and promise I don’t share any of this for attention. I have so much to be grateful for. I do hope to live a long and healthy life, however, so learning to manage chronic pain is super important to me, and I’m sure it is to you, too. 🙂
Can I just say, Pilates is awesome! I love doing it when I can but my husband loves it more! So many people forget that Pilates is great for men too! (It was, after all created by a man) My husband is often the only guy in class but he doesn’t care! He has a slight curvature of his spine so he will often get back pain and sciatic nerve pain down his leg. Pilates really helps with that and it also helps with his very tight hamstrings! I on the other hand have a chronic foot problem that the doctors and specialists (and w MRI) still can’t seem to figure out! I have some pain everyday (but not debilitating in anyway) so I figure I’ll probably have to live with this (I am also in my 40’s). Aging stinks!
Check into prolotherapy if it’s available. After 4 sessions, and several months of recovery, I feel good after years of pain. Also 48! It’s timely to work on my core daily as my metabolism has downshifted this year. I love going to a women’s only gym that I do Pilates, Barre, yoga, Hitt, and Bootcamp. I mix it up every week, that makes it fun..
Thank you so much for sharing! I’m awful at remembering to work my core. This will help me keep it a priority. Denise Austin used to say you are only as old as your spine. 😉
I have a very similar back issue…. from (I think) doing gymnastics as a kid, having 3 babies and teaching young children my whole life. I had pain on and off, nothing serious until about 2 and a half years ago when it became constant. I put up with it for 6 months snapping at my 3 boys and husband because I was at the end of my rope. I went to see a ‘back doctor’ who literally just works with people with back pain and had an MRI. I also was diagnosed with a disc bulge in exactly the same place as you Monica. He suggested an injection in my spine which I was very dubious about because I am very anti medication and love to find a natural cure if possible! He explained to me that it was like resetting my system and would cause me to be pain free for a few months while I worked at strengthening my core. It was the best thing I ever did! I now attend Pilates with an exercise physiologist twice a week to keep my core strength up and I am basically pain free. Occasionally when I sit too much, fly long distances or do too much driving my back gets niggly but nothing like it was. I am a massive believer in Pilates (I love it! it works!) and would recommend seeing a qualified Pilates instructor to anyone who is in pain…. actually I refer my friends all the time!
Monica
An answer to prayer. This is what I needed to read when I needed to read it! (Actually, I needed to read it 6 years ago…but…would I have appreciated it then? Probably not. Its been a rough 6 years)
I vowed yesterday to start strengthening my core with “some” (unbeknownst to me at the time) exercises this week to help manage my back and overall chronic pain. Well, here it is Monday-and I found my inspiration in reading this today. Off to check out Pilates and do some bridge exercises! I’m excited to get started now!
Grateful for your positive attitude and inspiration,
Thank you!
Oh that just makes my day, Brenda! SO happy the timing was so good! 🙂 Blessings to you and keep me posted on how you do, ok? 🙂 Have an awesome week! aloha-
Have you researched or tried Prolotherapy.
No I haven’t. I’ll have to look that up. 🙂 Thanks for mentioning.
Monica🙏🏽I’m so sorry to hear about your back pain😬hope you feel better soon,. Glad PT is helping, will keep praying for your continued recovery.As ever Penny
Oh thank you Penny! Much more to be thankful for than to complain about… 😉 So happy we got to meet for coffee. You inspire me! Much love–
Hi Monica! Thank you for sharing your journey with us, so that we can learn and even possibly relate! I can relate in that I have found Pilates to be an amazing way to strengthen my body in so many areas and preserve muscle to support my bones. I recently aggravated the cartilage behind my kneecap and Pilates has really helped. I was already working one-on-one with an instructor and now she’s been able to tailor our sessions to focus more on my knee. I’m also seeing an orthopedic doctor about it and doing physical therapy…so your post is really timely for me! I was in a lot of pain and I also felt discouraged, feeling that my 40’s is too young to be feeling chronic pain and trying to beat the clock against arthritis pain! But the good news is that by exercising, stretching and strengthening our bodies, we can help relieve the pain we’re feeling if we’re injured, and try to prevent some of the aches and pains and arthritis that affect so many people in older age. My orthopedist also recommended gentle yoga so i am going to try to start doing yoga more regularly. Hope your back feels better soon and feel free to keep us updated!
Thank you so much Wendy! It is so interesting to hear other’s stories also, so thank you for sharing. I am thrilled that pilates has been helpful to you, and I agree–we really can find some hope for a strong next season of life! 😉 Blessings to you, and thanks for taking the time to share! aloha-
Just had a microdiscectomy at L5/S1 December of last year and struggled with recovery. Finally asked to go to physical therapy and core strengthening helped SO MUCH!! I am still not 100% but I am getting there. I have slacked off on exercising lately so I am using this post as affirmation to get back at it to prevent more issues!! Thank you for sharing!!!
Hello from the Pilbara in Western Australia! I have had fibromyalgia since my fourth child was born 6 years ago. I am determined not to spend the rest of my life lying down with the curtains drawn. I started with rehab pilates and then a part time job that is quite physical to get me out of the house. I could not have done it without the much maligned pain opiate pain relief but I am now fit, strong and active! I think the hardest part has been seeing how much my behaviour and reality has impacted my children’s understanding of pain, they seem much more sensitive than their peers.
Thank you for the reminder that I have been slacking on my core work the physical therapists gave me.
Though I did spend a good amount of time doing Prone on Elbows last night, because it is so good. Is your physical therapist familiar with the McKenzie Technique?
I recently started doing some Barre classes, and the focus is all about core! Pelvic floor muscles and the front, back, and sides of torso. So helpful!
Also, after each birth, pilates was how I got strong again and felt my best.
Praying that you feel better!
Thank you for sharing❤
Thanks Jessica! I’ve taken Barre before (while traveling, of course :)) and I loved it! I think it’s such a good mix of things and so good for the core! Much aloha-
Monica ,
Wow! I just woke up this morning looked at my phone for the time and there was your email notification for this post.
Perfect timing! Read it all out loud and word for word . Ted was probably still asleep, but he too woke up and listened intently!
Let me just say I am not only going to keep praying for you daily, but let me walk with you and do some of what you are doing though miles of ocean separate us. I am not only your sister-in-law, but I am your sister in back pain.
After now 2 years of espidodic almost unbearable sciatica and at times not being able to walk or stand straight due to nerve pain I too finally got an MRI this past week. Guess what was discovered at L-5 S-1? A large 1 cm bulging disc!! Ugh! They say radiologists usually measure disc in mm so it is pretty bad, but so good to know.
Of course most people would go straight to a neurosurgeon right away, but like you I have for now going to try to live my life the best I can going the conservative route with Therapy and Exercise! I too am seeing a physical therapist who focuses on the McKenzie method and going to try to get the pain to subside by doing certain prone positions several times daily to try to move that disc back into place. I’m also using the grandmas walkers at home right now trying to do laps to get myself to stand straight again. When I finally can get standing straight again with no nerve or sciatica I can then begin to strengthen my back with exercise and core strengthening.
I can’t wait to talk to you more about this and truly be your sister in strengthening our backs without surgery and live our lives well into the next years ahead. We have a lot to do as mamas and together!
Blessings your way!!
OH Cami…I know you’ve been in SO much pain–definitely worse than mine. I hope and pray you can get better and if not, then I would never judge you for choosing surgery. You’ve been through the ringer!! Thanks for the comment and sending much love. Wish we could be closer in person, but always love knowing you are there. Hugs!
Cami, I like to think of it as John telling me my homework was to marathon netflix! I mean seriously if I’m gonna be doing prone on elbows on the living room floor I might was well be “productive” with it. It also has been one he has been having me do for my neck. This may also be how I discovered I need a new vacuum.
I’m so sorry that you have been dealing with this. I know how awful it can be. Part of me wants to jump up and run downstairs and pick Pilates back up because (1) I loved Pilates and (2) you’ve never steered me wrong before. But then I remembered that I have a hernia that I haven’t gotten fixed (won’t, shh – my husband and I have been arguing about it for a while) because I just don’t want to have any. More. Surgery. EVER.
Let me know how it goes for you. If you have a significant reduction in pain I might have to reconsider. My back pain is from something different entirely, but the idea is the same, right?
Oh Becka- So sorry for your hernia. Is there anything besides surgery that you can do for that? I might have to nudge you to listen to your husband on that one my dear…Regardless, yes, core strength is good for just about everything. As soon as you’re able, pick it up again!! much aloha and take care of yourself…
I have been going through the same thing for the past year and have been going to PT as well. I just turned 48 so I totally relate with you! I feel your pain 😊 and wish you the best in your recovery! Let us know how you progress.
Thank you and same back to you!! Much aloha!
I highly suggest cranio sacral therapy for back pain if you can find someone who does it!