Okay, so I didn’t actually break my back, there were no bone fractures, but it sure did feel like I broke my back. It turns out I aggravated disks in my lumbar spine at L4 L5, and anyone who has had disk pain can attest to how debilitating it is! So this is what happened;
It all started with the birth of my first child. Without going into too much detail, it was a 28 hour long labour, with two hours of pushing, most of which he was sunny side up for (so his spine was against my spine). After 19 hours I caved and got an epidural, and really couldn’t feel what was happening at all during pushing. Being in a position of lower back flexion (like when you scoop your tailbone under) and exerting so much pressure on my lower back was the beginning of the end.
While I didn’t have any immediate pain (aside from the normal birth recovery pains!) I did start to notice some general discomfort in my lower back. After I’d spent a long time sitting, especially when holding my son, when I went to stand up it felt like I was ‘stuck’ and couldn’t stand up straight. It wasn’t a sharp pain, but more of a tight uncomfortable feeling. I had a lot on my mind taking care of my new little human, and managing my business, and kind of shrugged it off. I started walking, hiking, and doing yoga again, and kind of just ignored it.
As my son grew, my lower back became more and more uncomfortable when I put my son in and out of his crib. When he was 6 months old, it all came to a head. My husband had just left for a work trip, and my son who was not a great sleeper, decided to choose this night to stay up for two hours straight. I bounced, I rocked, I put him in and out of his bed a million times, and by the time he was finally sleeping, I said ‘ohhhh shit’ and fell asleep. When I woke up in the morning, I couldn’t stand, I couldn’t sit, I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t lie on my back. The only position that didn’t cause searing pain in my lower back was lying on my side in a fetal position. I freaked out! I had never experienced this level of completely debilitating pain. What was I supposed to do!? I was still breast-feeding my son, and couldn’t sit with him or carry him!
I started calling around and got an appointment that day to see a physical therapist who was said to specialize in back pain. I hobbled into her office in tears. She tested my mobility and confirmed that I had slipped a disk at L4/L5. She recommended pain killers, muscle relaxants, and heat pads. I went home drugged myself up and hoped for the best. I canceled all of my classes for the rest of the week in hope that I would be better by then. I need to mention that I was lucky enough to have a nanny at the time, who stepped in and saved my life. We were living in Hong Kong when this happened, and I had no family close by to help. She took charge of the care for my son so I could rest, and even spent the first two nights getting up with him and feeding him a bottle. It hurt to even roll over in bed. I don’t know what I would have done without her!
A week later, I was up and about. I was amazed that I could go about my daily activities again after being in so much pain a mere week earlier. I started taking precautionary measures like wearing a back brace if I was doing any heavy (baby) lifting, and I continued to see my physical therapist twice a week. I had to learn as much as I could about this so I could prevent it from happening again.
And this is what I learned; the disks in your spine are jelly like pads that lie between our vertebrae and act like little shock absorbers. When we have chronic misalignment in our posture due to habbits, we can put pressure on the disks. For me, I didn’t have the core strength to stabilize the truck of my body, and then I was holding a heavy baby (he was always in the high 90th percentile!) away from my body as I picked him in and out of his crib. This put chronic pressure on the disks in my lower back, so they started to protrude out towards the back of my spine. This then put pressure on my nervous system, which in an act to protect my back from future damage, sent pain signals to my brain to prevent any movement.
I’d like to say I didn’t have any more relapses, but this isn’t the case. I had 3 more big episodes, all about 6 months apart from one another, and all resulting in 1-2 weeks in bed. With each episode, I learned more about my limits. What I could and couldn’t do, and what I needed to work on to prevent it from happening again.
I began intentionally strengthening my core. Being an avid yogi and hula hooper, I took my core strength for granted. And then instead of intentionally rehabing my core muscles after birth, I jumped back into exercise that I wasn’t ready for. I took a step back, and started focusing more on stability training for my core muscles. I also started intentionally strengthening my glutes, and back muscles. The idea being to strengthen the muscles around the weak area to provide strength and stability. I also integrated spinal mobilizing exercises that I learned in an anatomy workshop. I went to various physical therapists, chiropractors, and anatomy workshops and learned everything I could about what was happening in my body, and how I could make myself feel better.
I felt nervous and apprehensive about birth and recovery three years later when I was pregnant with my second child. I was lucky enough to have an amazing doctor who listened to my concerns, and helped me labour in a way that felt safe, avoiding lying on by back in a flexed lower back position like I had with my son. I spent most of the labour on my side, or in an all fours position, which prevented any undo stress on my lower back.
I intentionally rehabbed my body after birth, and took it slower. I focused on breathing, slow walks, pelvic floor engagement, and gentle abdominal exercises targeting the deep transverse core muscles. I avoided carrying my daughter in the carrier when possible (something I did NOT do with my son!) and was deliberate and intentional about the way I put her in and out of her bed.
As I got stronger, I added in the core, hip, and back strength and stability exercises I had learned previously. I am happy to say I never had another relapse! This being said, I do sometimes push it a little too far, and feel glitchy, vulnerable, and unstable or weak in my lower back. At the first sign that something is up, I turn back to my principals of core strengthening, spinal mobilizing, and hip engagement. I’ve learned how to recognize signs that something is not quite right, figure out what activities might have aggravated my back, and use the exercises that I’ve learned to mitigate any further discomfort.
A recent poll stated that 80% of Americans suffer from back pain at some point! I pride myself on leading a healthy active lifestyle, and yet I have suffered from back pain! I’m here to tell you I know how much it sucks, and that you don’t have to go it alone. You can feel better, and lead a life that is back pain free! The first step is taking action, looking for a solution, and figuring out what works for your body.
I have started offering a yoga for back care series where I teach what I have learned along my journey, and help you start your own journey. This course is composed of 6 classes, each of which is 75 min long. In each class, we will go over the anatomy of what is happening and why, as well as specific exercises to combat chronic pain. I will send you home with a guide so you can practice these exercises at home. We are an accumulation of our habits, and chronic pain is often a result of poor ones. When we make the decision to integrate new habits into our life that specifically target our needs, we can create balance in our bodies. Check out my Classes page for a link to register for my back care course today, so you can also live a back pain free life!
Here is what people are saying about the course:
‘I loved the theory and background knowledge to start the classes! Such a great class!’
‘I enjoyed listening to Emma explain why she was doing moves and what area’s they were expected to help. She is VERY knowledgeable and I look forward to taking more classes with her.’
‘Thanks for offering the course. I've had issues with my hips, lower back and neck at different times over the last 10 years and this class was very helpful. I also found that the classes also helped lower my blood pressure - that was a bonus!’