How long will you let yourself suffer?
In my experience as a physical therapist, a majority of my “bad back” clients hobble in the clinic door only when they’re in the midst of a disabling episode of low back pain.
And when I say hobble, I really do mean hobble. In many cases, they’ll be doubled up, limping and staggering with their faces contorted in agony.
In fact, I’ve seen that pain grimace so many times I take it as their version of a friendly hello.
Friendly Hello!?
Sadly, this is usually a “typical” case of acute low back pain for them. By typical I mean a flare-up of their long-standing back issues. I’ve had clients come in with histories of low back pain spanning almost their whole lifetimes.
Some longer than I’ve been alive!
Some caused by trauma such as falls or motor vehicle crashes. Others caused by sports or athletic related injuries.
But most often, these poor souls have just been mistreating their poor backs for way too long.
Could you imagine 15, 20, 30 or more years of intermittent, chronic low back pain?
What’s your magic number? How many days, weeks, months or years will you let it go on?
Two? Three? Four? Five? Ten? Twenty? More?
Leave a comment and let me know how long you’ve been suffering and what you’ve tried in the past. Let me know what’s worked and what hasn’t.
Yours in health.
Dev Chengkalath
