Seeing is Believing...

On Tuesday evening when I was sitting on my bed, bent double and in agony with the spasms in my lower back, I could not see what Linsey the physiotherapist could possibly do to help me.  I assumed she would give me some exercises to try and help and that it would take weeks before I had any proper relief from the relentless pain.  

But she had other ideas.

After asking lots of questions, she helped me to slowly and painfully lie on my stomach on the bed.   She looked at my back for a minute, muttered to herself and placed two fingers gently on what turned out to be THE very spots where all the pain radiated from.

She proceeded to examine my back, gently at first, then more firmly and was able to inform me that my back was completely "gummed up".  Well she explained it in more technical detail but it was lost on me so she very kindly converted it to layman's terms.

Long story short, she worked on my back for about 30 minutes and finished off with a deep tissue massage using Tiger Balm.  Bloody hell that stuff is good!  It honks, but in a nice way.

After she was done, she helped me roll over and sit up on the edge of the bed again.  I did so very gingerly, expecting the spasm to strike any second but it didn't.  She asked me to stand up and I did, only to discover I was about three feet taller than I had been 45 minute earlier!   I honestly couldn't believe how straight I was or how fantastic my back felt.  Loose and pain free.

She asked me to walk to the other side of the bedroom and again, since I've not been able to put my left foot in front of my right without almost collapsing with the pain, I did so gingerly.   No need.  The pain was gone!  Not a twinge, not a single spasm.   Honestly, it felt like a miracle!  I cried with relief!

Linsey then explained what's been going wrong with my back, not just in recent times, but right back over thirty odd years to my motorbike crash in my teens.   She explained that I need intensive rehabilitation of which physiotherapy is a part (both exercises and deep tissue massage) but should also include acupuncture, swimming and walking.  

I can't believe the difference she has made, not just physically but psychologically, as I really had begun to think I would never be properly mobile again.

I woke up yesterday morning after the best sleep in ages and was half expecting my back to have seized up again, but no, it was fine apart from a dull ache and tenderness at the trouble points.  Linsey told me to expect that as one session won't fix it completely.

She's coming back again tonight to do it all again and I cannot wait.   I know the difference won't be so huge this time but just feeling her fingers digging into the trouble points is a painful pleasure.  Sore, but a good sore as my wee gran used to say.

And the best bit about all of this (apart from the pain going of course :-) was the look on David's face when he came into the bedroom and saw me walking upright and pain free.  He literally could not believe his eyes.   I thought he was going to cry too!   

Sometimes I forget the toll my pain takes on him.   


PS Thank you so much for your lovely comments, stars and hearts on yesterday's blip.  I so appreciate your kindness and will reply xx