I’m married to my lower back. Is it a good marriage? We get along. Some days we fume, other days we smile. We know one can’t live without the other so we try to stay happy and harmonious.
The relationship has been one of metamorphosis. This journey began in 1994, not long after I arrived in Dallas from Miami. New job, new city, new apartment, and well, yes, new backaches. My back went out in 1995 and a coworker recommended a local chiropractor. There began my 20-plus years as a no-pills, no-shots, all-natural patient of the wonderful world of chiropractic care.
But, me being the gotta-exercise nut, I popped in home aerobics tapes. By now my life partner and I are living in our first house. One night I was doing my aerobics and – BAM! – out went my back. Early the next morning I was at the massage therapist (I already had one then) and the chiropractor. More care, more wisdom, more homework, and back to the routine.
Until 2004. I will never forget that morning. I was getting ready for work, in the bathroom with jammies still on, and I leaned over the counter to put on a contact lens. The baseball bat to my waist was fierce, excruciating. I immediately hit the floor, the pain was unbearable. My beautiful husband helped me down the stairs and into the car for an emergency trip to the chiropractor. My lower back, smack dab in the middle, throbbed.
My disc ruptured and fragmented right above my tailbone. The MRI revealed pieces of my disc floating in my lower back. Surgery was imminent. The two months wait to go under the knife was precarious. I could take leisurely walks. That’s it. I was told in no uncertain terms that if my back went out again, I was to be rushed to the emergency room.
I had a discectomy in November 2004. By the following February I was cleared to exercise again. I decided to work with a personal trainer. No more aerobics tapes. Let’s do it right this time. I was in the gym regularly for five years, doing things that to this day can’t believe I mustered.
But disc degeneration (read: arthritis) is no joke. My disc is fine, but my lower back muscles are constant work. Lower back muscle spasms have sent me to the emergency room. They could feel almost as bad as that fateful morning in 2004. Almost.
Still, I am married to my lower back. We are in constant therapy to keep the bond strong. How are we getting along? Pretty good. Don’t get me wrong, the relationship is high-maintenance. I stretch several times a day. I walk 15,000 steps a day. I do an hour of Pilates once a week. That picture above is me at a recent Pilates session. I visit the chiropractor twice a month. And I get a deep tissue massage once a month.
Still no pills, no shots and all-natural. I now have knowledge and experience, two powerful tools in the daily effort to keep my lower back healthy. I’m at my lowest weight ever, hovering between 155 and 156, thanks to my vegan low carb lifestyle. Being lighter on my feet makes my lower back smile.
I’m also surrounded by amazing people who fill my receptive brain with invaluable information. From my so-patient chiropractor Dr. Corey Skinner at Action Chiropractic in Dallas, I’ve learned the nuts and bolts of the lower back – this is connected to this, which is connected to that. He’s also taught me to chill, to breathe, to stop and evaluate before stressing.
From my fabulous massage therapist Scott Fryer at Optimal Stretching in Dallas, I’ve learned better ways to stretch and to understand the twists and turns of my lower back muscles. Because of Scott, when my lower back muscles speak I listen. He also said these prophetic words to me when I was at my lowest with pain and discomfort, “Gravity is kicking your ass.”
Enter the extraordinary Zoe Stein Pierce at Z Moves in Fort Worth. She has not only introduced me to the wonders of Pilates, but she has given me the confidence to recognize my potential and pitfalls. Because of her I am in tune with my flexibility and its shortcomings from the inside out. Zoe put me on an omnipotent wavelength with my body.
All successful, lifelong marriages need attention. My marriage to my lower back is a love affair that beats passionately. I’m keeping it that way.
Mario's Musings 