Backs Really Do Heal On the SDMB!

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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First week of January, and I just thought I’d jump in with an uplifting, happy post, and a bit of patting myself on the back.

In January 1999, Chicago suffered through a terrible snowstorm, with feet and feet of snow falling in 24 hours. Getting to work was a nightmare…sidewalks were rarely clear, and ice formed in thick patches. It was during this snowstorm that I slipped, and instead of falling, locked my knees and caught myself, jerking my body forward. After years of review, it is decided that this precise moment is when I slipped two discs in my back. It was a pain that would only disappear for a day or two at a time for almost three years, making my left leg and foot fall asleep, putting me in agony on planes and car trips, and basically disabling me from doing anything from ice skating, to helping friends move, to working out, to going camping.

I was in indescribable pain, put on DOZENS of drugs at various doses, including Vicodin, which I ended up being dependent on for about six months. I also took T3, Relafen, Celebrex, Vioxx, Ibuprofen, Cyclosbenzoprene, Amitryptiline, Darvocet and was given spinal steroid injections, which were, without question, the most painful medical procedure I’d ever experienced.

I went through three cycles of traction therapy, went to physical therapy, massage therapy, was bed ridden, missed weeks of work as I lay in bed unable to move. Heat, Ice, nothing helped, and I strongly believe it lead to my depression, which I am currently medicated for.

Finally, last year I discovered yoga. I took a class at my gym and fell in love with it. My teacher asked me about my back and made sure to give me special attention, helping me with breathing and poses. I was sore as whore on dollar day after that class, but went back the next week, then the next.

Then I started doing yoga at home, stretching for twenty minutes before bed and doing sun salutations in the morning.

I am now an ‘intermediate’ yoga practitioner, I do it for about 1 to 1 3/4 at a time, sweating, bending, breathing, stretching…

And my back has never felt better. I go for WEEKS at time without taking so much as an Advil for my back…I sleep like a baby, I can ride in cars, work out…it’s wonderful.

Dopers will remember how miserable my back has made me…and I’m here to tell you that as miserable as the pain made me is how happy yoga has made me.

so, IMHO, Yoga is a miracle cure…and I’d urge everyone to give it a shot :smiley:

Happy New Year everyone!

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Yay for no more backaches!

Congrats, jarbabyj! I’m glad to hear your back is feeling better. Yoga is a super cool thing - I get all cramped and stiff after sitting in the Office Chair from Hell all day, and I find a bit of stretching in the evening works wonders.
Good for stress, too. :slight_smile:

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Yeah!!!

Glad to hear it!

That and the Packers getting humiliated at home by the lowly Falcons are starting the year off right.

:smiley:

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That’s great! Friend of mine suffered from severe back pain, and it was painful just to look at him when he was on a bad day. Wonderful to hear that someone is making it through.

Quick question:

Not knowing a damn thing about yoga, what am I missing in the above? 1 - 1 3/4 hours, sessions, times a week?

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1 to 1 3/4 hours per session.

I usually do yoga three times a week. Keep in mind that ten minutes at the end is ‘relaxation pose’, which is a very alert and rejuvenating sort of meditation/nap.

:smiley:

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Cool, I’m happy yoga helps your back. Are you doing ashtanga? Yeah shivasna is my fav position too!

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Good for you ** jaybaby**.
Personally, as a guy who’s suffered from more-than-occasional back pain since he was 13 years old, I’ve found that regular activity of any kind is the best thing. Situps, crunches, running, pilates, it’s all good.

But I was planning to check out a new yoga class today :slight_smile:

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That’s such great news, Jar. I was wondering just the other day if things were better :slight_smile:

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Wow. I’m glad to hear that your back is getting better. I remember the posts from when you were in lots of pain and on lots of medication.

I took yoga for a little while, mainly for the stretching, and secondarily just to have something to do. I really enjoyed it, and unfortunately I didn’t keep it up.

Even if you don’t have back pain, it can certainly be an enjoyable hobby, that’s for sure.

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You have no idea how happy this makes me! I’ve had a bad lower back for the past couple of years (a condition known as “Spondololysthesis”, which is basically arthritis in my back) due to a gymnastics injury years ago. I have such horrid pain sometimes it takes over my entire way of thinking, to the point I can’t enjoy anything and get terribly depressed too. Being to a chiropractor for 2 years straight has only temporarily helped, but never in the long run. I started doing yoga a year or so ago and it has done me wonders too! Seriously, it is a gentle way of keeping my legs and back streched so I’m not in immobilized pain. Keep it up, I know how hard it is to live with back pain, and yoga has done wonders :slight_smile:

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I’m glad to hear you’re so much better, jarby. This is a good reminder to me that I really need to get back to a regular exercise plan, as my back has been pretty bad lately.

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Yay! I’m so happy to hear that jarb :slight_smile:

I practiced yoga for a short time and have been considering taking it up again - my quite-obese aunt just started a few months ago, and she’s already looking MUCH healthier. Cheers for yoga!

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I’m scared that your hurt back was like your version of Sampson’s Hair; will curing your back mean an end to some of the most scathing, funny, and creative Pit threads ever? :eek:

J/K. I’m happy you are feeling better now and wish you many pain-free days.