I've so far had 2 episodes in my lifetime and they are both travel-related (due to heavy baggage!😜). The first one I ended up seeing a chiropractor but I'm glad I did coz the chiropractor taught me how to properly get up from the bed (turn to your side near the edge of the bed and with one arm in front of your upper body, push up to stand and let your legs swing towards the floor). He also gave me stretching exercises which greatly improved my back and which I still do everyday.
The second one was last year when I tried to weigh our luggages using a portable scale but I forgot to bend when I lifted them! When I woke up with back pain, I initially thought it was due to the bed so I did some exercises to ease the back pain (wrong move coz this just worsened my condition). The following morning, my upper body felt like it was disconnected from my lower body. Yes, I could walk - but really slow - and it was so painful to get up from a lying down or sitting position. I can't even laugh coz my lower abdominal muscles hurt when I laugh. Riding a car is excruciatingly painful too - every bump, brake or sudden turn cause your insides to hurt. And when I lie at night, I was stuck with one position coz I could no longer move the moment I lie down. 😱😢
What made the situation worse at that time were: (1) I was overseas, in Copenhagen, and (2) in a few days was my return flight to Manila. The flight was about 18 hours. Do I need a wheelchair so I make it to the boarding gates? How will I be able endure the long-haul flight? How will I pull out my heavy luggage from the carousel (coz my friend gets off in Singapore which means I'll be alone in the last leg of the flight)? 😰 So I did a lot of research on what I could possibly do and here are the things that worked for me:
1. To get up from a sitting position, the best technique I found was to move my butt until it's near the edge of the chair, then slowly push up using my hands against the arm rest. (When I stand up though, I look like an elderly - I'm in a hunched position holding my lower back and I walk in that hunched position. But after a few steps, my back finds its position and I'm able to walk with a straight back.)
2. I massaged the pressure points (where I could feel the pain most) in a single direction (e.g. downward only).
3. I meditated frequently during the day and imagined all the painful parts of my body were healing internally.
4. Prayed a lot! 🙏🙏🙏
I survived the return flight to Manila (without the need for a wheelchair) and strangers helped me with my luggage. Whew! 😌
Within 12 days (since the problem occurred), my back fully recovered. I didn't have to see a doctor or chiropractor. I would normally seek medical help but for this one, I knew the pain was due to pulled muscles, not broken bones.
Within 12 days (since the problem occurred), my back fully recovered. I didn't have to see a doctor or chiropractor. I would normally seek medical help but for this one, I knew the pain was due to pulled muscles, not broken bones.
Since then, I've been more careful when lifting or carrying heavy objects - never forget to bend. I actually don't even want to lift anything heavy now if I could avoid it. Haha.... 😆
I thought bending properly when lifting heavy objects is all I need to remember so I won't hurt my back again. But last week, I accompanied someone to the rehab doctor and I learned other bad habits I unconsciously do which could possibly hurt the back too. Take note, I wasn't even the patient but there I was, probably more attentive than the patient. 😂
Below are the new things I learned from the rehab doctor - with visuals I found online for easier reference.
Here's the proper way to wear socks, sandals with straps, or shoes with shoelaces or zippers -
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| Proper posture when putting on your shoes (Source) |
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| Proper way to wear shoes (Source) |
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| Proper posture when mopping or sweeping the floor (Source) |
I couldn't find a visual for the last common mistake we unconsciously do but it's the correct posture when washing your hands or face on the sink. The correct posture is - you also need to bend your knees to adjust to the level of the sink.
The rehab doctor said that we don't have to wait until we're old or until we start having back problems to start practicing these because these are the correct postures regardless of one's age. Need to start correcting my bad habits asap. 😬
I call my back problem experience last year as my early lola (grandmother) moment. It wasn't a pleasant experience but right after I recovered, I realized I was also lucky because it made me realize a lot of things. For example, it doesn't mean just because someone looks young and healthy, he/she is as strong or fast as you are. When we see people who are walking slowly, maybe they wish to walk faster but they just couldn't because they have physical limitations which we couldn't see. When we see people who don't smile, maybe they wish to smile but they just couldn't because they don't have any reason to smile or they are in so much physical pain.
The experience also gave me an early glimpse of what lies ahead. Someday, our minds may still be active and alert but there will come a time when our bodies won't be able keep up with what our mind wants or wishes to do - no matter what. So whatever you want to do now while you still physically can, it's time to do it now. 😉
