Hi everyone! Happy New Year! I hope you're all doing ok. I'm marking an entire year tomorrow since I really injured my back. (Quick recap: L4/L5 disc protrusion, pressing on L5 and S1 nerves and causing sciatica down my left calf and into my left foot. Initial sharp shooting pains, burning, fuzzing, cramping... In May, I also began to have similar but milder symptoms in my right leg and foot, too – apparently quite common and normal).
I refuse to get down about it. Particularly as I'm still recovering. Instead, I'm reminding myself of how far I've come in 12 months. I'm proud of myself. I've kept going, even on very difficult days.
What I'm finding with this injury is that there are certain things you must do to support your healing, but mostly – it's a matter of time. And everyone is different.
If you've just injured your back and you're reading loads of stuff online about it taking 6-12 weeks to recover, I really hope that's the case for you. And for many people, it is. But here's the reality you probably don't want to hear: the average healing time is 18 months. It can often take two years or more.
During the acute phase, I didn't want to hear this fact. I was hoping I'd be in the lucky three-month camp. Alas, I had a pretty nasty disc protrusion and I'm 46, so I suspect it's a long road for me.
What has helped me? Well, in the first three months, I did too much. I was walking too much. Doing pilates. All too much, too soon. Once I allowed myself to rest in the fourth month – as in, just lie on my yoga mat face down or on my back with my legs raised at 90 degrees on my sofa seat – things began to calm down. It's during that initial phase that you need to let things settle. You keep getting up, moving around the house. But you have to let the disc have time to heal in those early days.
And then, you begin walking again. Three times a day, starting at five minutes each time. And you go for your first walk as soon as you wake up. For me, that first month of walking again was excruciating. It was end of April and May, and I would wear sunglasses so people couldn't see me crying. Every step was so difficult. I'd make it home and almost collapse onto the front door, bursting into my home and going straight to my yoga mat on the floor to rest.
I also followed Colin's morning routine during that time (See below). It was a life saver. And really helped me allow the disc to mend itself. During those first four or five months, I had a couple of stints on Gabapentin... maybe three weeks at a time. But I came off that stuff asap. I also stopped taking ibuprofen. I realised whilst it was nice to have a lot of the pain dialled down, a) I needed to get feedback, so I knew what was and wasn't working... and b) I read somewhere that ibuprofen stops your body's natural inflammatory response to the disc injury – a response you need in order for your system to clean up the herniation naturally. Also, I was off my face on that Gabapentin stuff. It was awful. But I used it when I absolutely needed it. Because as anyone who's experienced sciatica will tell you, it's one of the most painful things we can ever endure.
Ice is your friend. I had a wearable ice pack that I'd strap around my waist and leave on for half an hour at a time. Once the inflammation came down and I realised muscles were also involved, tensing to protect the spine, I used heat. A microwavable wheat sack.
Around June, six months post-injury, my walking was vastly improved. I'd slowly and sensibly increased those five minute walks, three times a day, to just one big morning walk. I found my symptoms were the most manageable during those morning walks, so I would trek for up to 9km. I easily did 15-20k steps during those summer months.
In May, after allowing my body to rest for three weeks, I began a daily routine of physio/pilates work. Pelvic tilts, glute bridges, bird dogs, dead bugs, side leg lifts, clams, step ups, standing press ups, squats... every single day.
By August, I was finally able to drive again. Albeit with leg pain. It was at this stage that I ditched a "pain diary" to take the pressure off recovery. And I realised I needed to test my limits and build resilience and tolerance. So I made myself do things that caused pain. I also read The Way Out by Alan Gordon, and this helped me get over the fear of pain. And gave me some cool techniques to calm myself.
It was August when I went out for my first meal (I still was using my sciatica cushion...about £20 off Amazon and an absolute god-send). And things starting to improve further. The driving got easier and easier. It's still not ideal now, but I can really see I'm improving all the time.
I started swimming in September and that really helped calm any flare ups, which – back then – would last for three weeks. Now flare ups can be over in a day or sooner. And in this second half of the year, I had lots of little wins that were huge to me. Like, being able to tie my shoe laces for the first time. Or realising I could put my socks on without putting each foot onto a stool and lunging in. I started doing more and more things. In November, I went to a gig with a friend! My leg was burning the whole time, but I was more than ok.
I'm still walking my ass off. I'm back in the gym and on the elliptical trainer and using the machines rather than free weights. I'm being very careful but I understand I need to build strength. I'm going to pilates classes.
I'm in the "manage chronic pain" phase. My back feels secure. I'm feeling quite fit, given my limitations. I'm the lightest I've been in years. As throughout all of this, I've been very meticulous with nutrition – avoiding foods that cause inflammation. My only vice is alcohol. It isn't recommended as it causes inflammation. However, I've justified having it as it actually calms my muscles and takes the pain down several notches. I probably suffer for it the next day. But I figure, I'm not on the hard meds, so some booze isn't going to kill me. For now. Plus, in a silly way, it's felt like I've still had a life. Even when it's been so limited. Going the pub for a pint with my "special cushion" has been a true joy.
It wasn't until end of October that I finally slept through the night. My god. I cried the next day. Sleep has been very difficult indeed. Last night, I had seven hours of uninterrupted sleep. Bliss. Alcohol will be going on hold now, too.
Anyway, my point is. This has been a long journey for me. But I am feeling optimistic that at some point in the next 12 months, the pain will disappear. The only thing I've got to do is stick to the routine, keep positive and reward my body with all the rest, care and attention it needs. And I'll probably do that for the rest of my life.
Yes, I have omega-three, B12, magnesium... Yes, I walk daily... a lot. Yes, I do all the recommended exercises, and I balance rest in between. But what I'm starting to realise is that this is an injury that mostly takes time.