I come to you from my recliner with a spasming back and am sitting here wondering what I have possibly could have done to deserve this level of pain. I want to tell you the story, a story that many of you can relate to. But now I want you to hear my process to find causes, even for my own pains.
Since I have been back in school for the past few months, I have been having more frequent back pains. I will admit, I expected this to happen. For me, and most of us, prolonged sitting usually puts the back in a vulnerable position to get grumpy. I had a plan for exercises and taking frequent breaks that was slow to start but I got more compliant with my own plan as the quarter progressed. However, my back has been in a two-week cycle of spastic, random grouchiness.
The worst yet was this weekend.
I woke up the day after Christmas with my back aching. I thought that maybe all the cooking and outdoor games of the day before led to some achiness. Except the pain worsened all day. Then, at 6 p.m., even after a day of trying ibuprofen, ice, heat, stretching, foam rolling, and cold laser, all of a sudden I found myself in a full low back spasm. I couldn’t stand, walk, sit, or lay down without severe discomfort and I found myself crying.
This was at least the fifth time my back spasmed since starting back to school. And I had done everything right! I have a standing desk, a good quality chair, and a way to even bike while using the desk. I take breaks to stretch and exercise. This was not making any sense to me. Plus, it is extremely embarrassing to be the one always trying to heal everyone else and then finding myself suffering in that much pain.
In my flurry of trying to find some way to calm my back down and find a comfortable position, I did something that triggered a muscle memory: I tried sitting straight upright with my legs crossed and both of my hip flexor muscles went nuts. I realized that one of my main sitting positions while doing schoolwork is on a dining or desk chair with a dog in my lap. During Christmas, my parents and I sat around playing cards at the dining room table and I had a dog in my lap for a couple hours. We were having fun! I wasn’t thinking about the way I was isometrically holding my hips to cradle my dog while still playing cards. I have done this a few times while sitting at my desk, too. The timing of the back spasms I predict directly coincides with the times I have sat like that.
My point is that there was a reason for my pain. I don’t usually overstress my hip flexors because I stand so much for work and I stretch regularly. But these occasions - when my dog Oz is feeling super needy and wants to be on my lap while I’m sitting at a table - are actually causing a pretty significant strain in my hips which translates to back pain for me. This does not mean that I need to stop sitting with a dog in my lap; I just have to change the position so my hip flexors are not doing the brunt of the work.
This is the exact process I try to take all of you through when looking for the cause of pain. As you can see, it can be something small or silly that we would not normally consider a risk for injury. However, with a history of back injury, I have to look at all possible risks. And doesn’t this seem silly! For someone who does long distance walking, biking, and strength training, suddenly cradling my dog laid me up for a couple of days!
If we do not continue to search for the root causes of chronic pain, we will be in a cycle of suffering which can lead to rash decisions. Pain sucks! Not knowing where it comes from totally sucks! I encourage you to continue to ask your body “why” so that you can find the root causes and have less pain in life.
Good luck on your journey towards finding the triggering activities! Cheers to health and joy in the new year!
Dr. Melanie
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