Three months of back pain: from injury to diagnosis
Twelve weeks ago, I herniated a disc in my lumbar spine.
I had just reached the lowest point of a squat, which was a central part of my weightlifting routine. At that moment, I noticed an unfamiliar sensation in my lower back, perhaps best described as something sliding or as a pop without sound.
This was followed by a tightness in my lower back, a stabbing pain in my left buttock, and a tingling down the back of my left leg.
As the pain wasnāt too bad, I decided to complete my workout that day. Over the course of the day, I noticed that moving around still felt good, but that sitting (especially prolonged sitting) hurt badly.
I didnāt think much about the implications, so for the following weeks, I just continued my weightlifting routine, including weighted squats and overhead presses. The only change I made was to avoid sitting. Thanks to a standing desk and a treadmill, I even continued to work.
The pain, however, didnāt get better at all. After four weeks had passed, I decided to see a doctor, transferred me to an orthopedic. He diagnosed a pulled Piriformis muscle, prescribed physical therapy, and āmobilized the muscleā (Iām not entirely sure what that means, other than applying force to my leg and spine).
When I left the orthopedic, the pain had gotten so bad that I was barely able to walk. I figured this was part of the healing process and started taking pain medication.
Over the next two weeks, I participated in three physical therapy sessions. It was discovered that my left hip didnāt bend properly. To restore its function, I learned several stretching exercises, which I performed every day.
The pain really got better, which I attributed to the physical therapy. So I stopped taking pain medication, and sadly, the pain returned in its full force.
Something wasnāt working, and so I decided to see yet another doctor. This time, I went to a neurosurgeon trained in osteopathy.
He performed a few movement checks, tested my reflexes, and told me that my disc was probably herniated (which was confirmed by an MRI two weeks later). Most importantly, he told me to rest my back and to restrict my exercise to plain walking.
And so, six weeks in, I finally stopped lifting heavy weights. And not long after that the tingling sensation in my leg disappeared. The stabbing pain in my buttock faded in intensity and started to occur less frequently.
Finally, my body has started to heal, but Iām still far away from being healthy. I canāt carry groceries, let alone my three-year-old son. But at least I get to carry our newborn daughter around in my arms.