Tuesday 22 May 2012

Oops I did it again.. lower back pain

Honestly, I don't remember when I last hurt my back.  It was an awful feeling waking up last Saturday not being able to move. I met up with a friend later during the day who offered some muscle relaxant which I hesitatingly took and insisted that I see a doctor if the pain doesn't go away.

Well, the pain worsened and the first thing I did yesterday was to hobble to Intercare to get some kind of relief. Luckily, the rehab doctor Dra. Annie Dizon was there to attend to me. She ruled out sciatica, pinch nerve and said that the cause was muscle-related. She also mentioned that I had the same issue as early as 2007.   (Note: I now love medical records!) Specifically,  she diagnosed left lumbar strain and sacroiliac joint dysfunction:


Since the pain was unbearable, Dra. Dizon recommended that I undergo daily treatment consisting of Physical Therapy (i.e. hot packs, light massage, ultrasound with tense and stretch), myofasial therapy (deep tissue massage) and chiropractic treatment with Dr. Martin Camara. She said that the cause may be attributed to stress, improper bending or lifting and even poor posture.

I did a postural alignment test, actually a video of my spine was taken using the Kinesio Capture, an iPad app. As shown in the video below, the result indicated that my spine is off a few degrees in certain portions of my body. One of the doctors of Intercare pointed out that the misalignment may be causing the muscle strain and tension and thus, over time triggered the lower back pain. He added that good posture and chiropractic treatment may help relieve the tension in the low back area.


The axiom health is wealth is a popular cliché but after this week's bill plus next week's (unfortunately, Intercare is not covered by my insurance policy), it is best to take this dictum to heart. Prevention is the key to good health. After this week's experience, I made a list of resolutions that will prevent such hiccups  and let me go on doing the things I love to do.

All taped up
Here's my list of resolutions: (1) Because core muscles support the spine, focus on core stabilization and strengthening exercises; (2)  Always stretch especially the hamstrings and piriformis - i.e. after work out, sitting for a prolonged period of time, and before sleeping;  (3)  Book a massage at least once a week (preferably, myofasial release); (4) Lift objects properly by bending knees (hmm.. I have to check with Miggy though regarding  dead lifts); (5) And lastly, apply kinesio tape (left) to support the strained areas - back, legs, shoulder.

Since it's Buddha's birthday this week, let me end with a quote from him To keep the body in good health is a duty... otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.

1 comment:

Jack Cruz said...

Sorry to hear it from you, I experienced lower back pain too just last year and it was really painful that sometimes I can't barely move. With a pain reliever that I used and with the help of a chiropractor everything is fine right now and I hope it will last.