The Body Speaks Out Series – “Our Talking Low Back”
In my first year of practice, a woman came in to my office, simply because she happened to be walking past the office and was in pain. She poked her head in the door and asked what I did. I explained my practices to her, and she made it clear that she didn’t want anyone “cracking her spine.” Since I do not crack backs, she decided to start care that morning. We went over her history, and checked her posture after which she received her first adjustment. This was all before I understood the connection between life stress and how it creates pain in our body.
The Story
She was going to Okinawa in a week and a half, but was afraid because of her low back pain. She had this pain for about a year and a half, but had to go on this mandatory trip to celebrate an orphanage she was from.
Prior to her trip, I was able to adjust her three or four times at which point she started feeling better, but she was still afraid of going on her trip. She told me that she would be gone for about three weeks and she expected to do a lot of walking, which usually aggravated her low back pain. I gave her some breathing exercises to do while she was away, and told her the importance of resuming care when she returned.
After three weeks, she called and wanted to come back. I asked her, “How was your trip?” She replied, “It was actually great! I thought I would be in pain from all the walking, and even though I could feel a little pain, it was nothing compared to how it was before.”
She was happy and amazed that after suffering for a year and half, she was able to experience less back pain. After another month of adjustments, her back pain went away and she stayed under care for almost two years.
Thoughts and Reflection
When she first started care with me, she was undergoing some changes in her home. Her granddaughter had moved in with her because she was having problems with her mother (my practice member’s daughter).
During the time she was under care with me, I saw that this woman, in her 70s, was a “super-grandma.” She did everything for her granddaughter. During this time, her granddaughter became more and more of a challenge and after about a year she started to feel pain in her legs and her left knee. Her back even started bothering her again. Her blood pressure increased and she became borderline diabetic. At this point, she went to see her primary care physician and I didn’t see her again.
If I knew then…
If I knew then what I know now, I wonder what could have happened. It was a few years before I realized how stressful family and life situations are linked with those pains! I have come to understand that relationship issues manifest in our low backs, and until we acknowledge and deal with these issues, the body will create more ailments to get us to make a change or we continue to suffer. So, in that light, let’s address what we need to, and get that devil off our backs!
If you can relate to low back pain or low back stiffness, or have a story to share about how an experience was linked to a pain, please feel free to share it in the comment box below. There is a benefit to expressing and exchanging our stories!