However, informing yourself about healing your injury and preparing your mind for the "letdowns" that you may experience over the years can actually turn this negative into a positive. At just 25 years old, I injured my back and could barely get out of bed for months. I didn't just herniate my disc at L5-S1, I "obliterated" it (according to the doc that interpreted the MRI.) Before injuring my back, I was healthy as an ox. A Marine actually. I ran several miles daily, had a low body fat percentage, and have never had any nutritional deficiencies that could have predicted my poor spine's fate. It happened though, and after getting used to the actual physical pain, the depression and hopelessness was more than I could bear. I had to cope with the loss of my own capabilities and try to make sense of it all. It still doesn't make sense, but I've found it doesn't need to.
I'm going to outline some ways that I dealt with the physical, mental , and emotional turmoil that come along with a severe back injury. If you want to take steps to get off the pain meds, start doing the things you used to love doing, and repair your relationships that may have also been "herniated," you will need a few things to start.
1. An open mind. If you are anything like I was, you want to navigate this all by yourself. You are strong after all! Well spinal disc injuries are a hard animal to overcome without at least doing some research and considering the ideas of others who are experiencing the same thing you are. Some of the things I'm going to layout for you here may seem goofy at first, but please don't dismiss them before trying them. If you don't have an open mind, the road to recovery will undoubtedly be much more difficult for you. Keep that in "mind".
2. Support. Like I mentioned above, if you try to do this all by yourself, you are making things unnecessarily difficult for yourself. Chances are, you aren't Charles Manson and there are people that care about you. Try to describe to them the physical and mental pain resulting from your herniated disc. Try to portray exactly how you feel so that they might be able to empathize and understand. If you try to play the "tough guy" and pretend that you aren't in excruciating pain, (if you are) then those around you may expect things from you that are unrealistic or offensive. Most people don't know what your pain feels like, try to communicate that pain as accurate as you possibly can. No you can't herniate their disc, that would be wrong.
3. A Small Budget to Heal. The only thing worse than having a herniated disc is having a herniated disc and not making the small investment to heal it. Most likely, you got a herniated disc from a combination of your lifestyle, nutrition, core muscle tonality, posture, and stress. Things have changed. You have to make adjustments to all of these things, as well as investing in certain products that will make your road to recovery faster and easier. No one wants to be stuck in complete agony if they don't have to be. Items like back braces, heating pads, cold packs, canes, or inversion tables are things you can get on the cheap to lower your pain and set up the perfect anatomical situation where your disc can heal. Spending a couple of bucks on some or all of these items is worth it, trust me.
Teeter Hang Ups EP-560 Ltd Inversion Table w/ bonus Acupressure Nodes & Lumbar Bridge
4. Time. I mean this in two different ways. You will need time out of your day, everyday, if you are serious about healing. Take the time to research your injury. Educate yourself. Take a few minutes to do the workouts I mention on this website. You invested a few bucks, now invest a few minutes. Otherwise, the underlying causes that contributed to your injury may actually make it worse! When talking about time, I also mean that you will need to be patient; recovering does not happen instantly. It may take weeks, months, or in my case over a year (due to my own stubbornness,) to get to where you can live a productive life again. Please understand this. Your spinal disc isn't a Chia pet. It can't grow overnight.
5. Willpower. The most important thing you will need. You can't commit to any of the above without a will strong enough to do so. If you don't think your will is steeled enough to embark on this journey, I suggest taking the time to build it first. This is actually the hardest item to keep in your inventory throughout recovery, and I will cover how to fasten this down in great detail in the "Mental" section of this website.
Please understand that your disc will never completely heal. But that's ok! You will understand why as you explore the website. I have categorized the different aspects of recovery into the tabs at the top of the page. My aim is to make this a convenient (and completely free to use,) one-stop-shop for everything it takes to recover. You will find many pictures, videos, graphs, and links to other sites to help you get the most from your experience on Coping With Having A Herniated Disc.
If you have a few bucks and want to take the quick and easy route, then Click Here to purchase life changing materials from The Healthy Back Institute. They are an accredited business by The Better Business Bureau, and are a band of experts in relieving back pain. If you don't get everything you need from visiting my website, I strongly urge you to check them out. Also, if you want to explore some natural ways of relieving sciatica, then take a look at this website.
Good luck and I hope you enjoy and find the information on Coping With Having A Herniated Disc useful.
-Head Strong (Mike Malone)
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