My family love to tease me about my bad back. My Dad coined the phrase BOC and now everyone I'm related to is in on it. It comes and goes and so I try to be careful in between bouts of having a bad back, as I clearly remember how excruciating each one is. I try to avoid lifting heavy objects, bend my knees and hold in my core for lighter things plus, I religiously have a hot bath with Epsom salts every other day to help keep sore muscles at bay.
Anyway, it's back and boy, does it hurt. It hurts to walk, it hurts to drive, it hurts to bend down. As if the palaver of having my awful cough recently wasn't enough, the jolt of coughing led me down this spiral of pain to where I am now - sitting on a padded buttock cushion with a hot water on stuffed down my trousers and high on Co-codamol. I'll have to get up in a minute to have a hobble about before I despatch myself for a lie down on the sofa for some respite.
I feel like a little old lady, although, I'm not so little these days and that's part of the problem. When I went to see an osteopath last week, he said it might help to lose a little bit of weight and rather than reaching for cake and crisps, head towards fruit and nuts instead. I took him at his word for breakfast but by elevensies, I was devouring a chocolate brownie rinsed down by a cappacino. Whoops. More work here is obviously needed.
I can just about get dressed and had to almost resort asking my teenage daughters to put my leggings and socks on before I set off to work. Luckily, I managed to hold on to my bed post and put my legs into their leggings by hand and I dispensed with the socks and wore slip on shoes insead of boots. I need to get better for my sake as well as theirs.
The osteopath also said my body looked twisted one side and I walked like I was wearing one shoe. Great. One of my legs is slightly shorter than the other and my belly button is looking diagonally across the room when I'm in my undies. I have a 'S' shape in my spine but basically I have a good back and it's too late in the day to adjust the way I stand so I need to go with it.
Pilates and yoga are supposed to help and do but at the moment, I am in such agony that I am finding it hard to bend into the positions to relieve the pain. No pain, no gain or more pain? Also, I know walking is good for my condition but it looks more like shuffling at the moment. No wonder people are told to take a 'constitutional' meaning a daily walk. Everyone could benefit from at least one per day. It's not just for dogs.
I am seeing an acupuncturist this afternoon, as that has really helped in the past and I'm hoping the tension in my lower back, hips and thighs will be released into the wild and never come back again. I worship anyone who can heal pain. Hopefully, next time I write, I will be able to stride down the street again, rather than wince down it.
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