|
Backpain: an alternative tale of alternatives
Years ago I suffered a serious back injury during a kickboxing tournament. I herniated two discs (L4 and L5) and suffered paralysis in my right leg. At the hospital I was loaded with drugs and placed in traction. After days and weeks of both in and outpatient treatment (involving a broad spectrum of physio techniques), my recovery was negligible.
Despite strong painkillers I was unable to sleep (on the floor) for more than a couple of hours at a time and even my dreams featured recurring pain-themes. I was unable to drive (too much pain to assume the posture required to sit in the driving seat), I could walk only slowly and with a limp, and my upper body was permanently canted forward at about 10 degrees from vertical. Back at the hospital the specialists recommended back surgery which I was very reluctant to consent to for various reasons including those mentioned in the main article.
Prior to my accident, I had been an avid scuba diver (PADI Divemaster) and some friends urged me to venture out of my dark house and spend a sunny day at the beach. Sat on the shore watching my friends get ready for their dive, I was overcome with a passion to join them. I persuaded my friends to let me try and they assisted me into the calm water where I managed to suit up and descend beneath the surface. Once under the water and neutrally buoyant I was surprised at how little pain I felt, my mind roamed free and I started to enjoy myself for the first time since the accident.
About 10 minutes into the dive I felt and heard an ominous crunch deep within my body. Before I had time to think "Oh sh*t what's happened?", I was consumed by a wave of well being and I realized that everything was fine: my spine had clicked back into place. Back on land the pain was subdued, and my posture had distinctly improved.
Fast-forward a couple of years, I had started to work out with weights again when - crunch - I managed to put my back out once more, this time during a heavy back-and-biceps training session. This injury wasn't nearly so serious, no paralysis, just hardcore back pain and a rigid posture which made me look like a candidate for the "Ministry of Silly Walks". Once again regular treatment at the hospital produced no relief so I popped back under the waves for some bespoke submarine therapy. But, this time there was no joy and I was confined to pain and an awkward posture and gait for well over a year.
One day at a party I was chatting to an athletic and strongly built individual - turns out he was a retired professional boxer who was working in the fitness industry. This guy had been watching me walk around and dance (probably very comically) and out of the blue, he asked if I had an extra vertebrae in my back. I had no idea, but I launched into telling him the history of my back problems. He mentioned that he had had some experience working as a chiropracter and asked permission to examine my back. Standing in the kitchen surrounded by partygoers I removed my shirt and he pronounced that I had an extra vertebrae that was fused to my pelvis. This was news to me - despite having numerous X-rays and a CAT scan at various hospitals, no medical professional had ever bothered to communicate (or perhaps they never noticed) this fact to me. The implications were significant, because the added length and reduced flexibility in my spine meant that I would permantently have added risk of back injury during intense physical exercise.
The following week I had to travel overseas to the Philippines on a business trip. Over in Manila I got friendly with one of the girls at the office and she suggested that I pay a visit to a faith healer to sort out my back pain. Being a borderline atheist I dismissed her advice, however, without my knowledge she contacted the faith healer and they paid a surprise visit to my hotel. I was very skeptical to say the least, and I had serious concerns that they planned to pull some sort of scam (particularly as the faith healer insisted that she required no payment).
After some awkward conversation I consented to let the faith healer do her thing and I was surprised to note that she spent about 4 hours using an eclectic array of healing techniques including aroma therapy, reflexology and of course plenty of prayer and chanting. By the end of this marathon session, my body was numb with a glowing pain. I felt incredibly stiff so I was unable to ascertain what if anything she had managed to accomplish. Nevertheless I appreciated how much time and effort she had expended during the process and I dug out a sizeable wad of local currency to offer in payment. The faith healer declined payment, proclaiming that her skills were a gift from God and that she feared they would disappear if she chose to exploit them for personal gain. I did manage to sell her on the idea of donating the cash on my behalf to her favourite charity.
That night I slept well and awoke in the morning to find my entire body pleasantly aching as if I had performed a grueling full-body work earlier in the week. Over the next few days the pain subsided and flexibility returned to my body. Back home, friends commented that my limp had disappeared and my posture improved. After a few months I still felt great and I gradually eased myself back into exercise and weight training.
About 8 years have passed with no serious back problems.I still work out regularly though I am careful to focus on good form and control with light to moderate weights, rather than heavy-duty lifting. In case anybody is wondering - no I didn't change my religious beliefs, and yes, it turns out that I do have an extra (fused) vertebrae. I guess the moral or lesson that can be learned from this story is that no one science or discipline has a monopoly of knowledge, understanding or efficacy when it comes to the care and repair of the human body. For those plagued with an injury - be positive, keep an open mind and donÂ’t be afraid to explore all avenues of treatment or advice. And, good luck..
|
Linear Mode
