Picking up my son

Last week I spent some time at the beach, building castles with my 2 year old and generally trying to keep the stresses of building a small company at bay. My son asked to be picked up and as I bent over to grab him a shooting pain went up and down my spine. Since that moment I have had a localized pain in my lower back which progressed yesterday to a burning / pins and needles sensation in my legs.

Now your probably saying "this is awfully convenient given his role with SpineUniverse", but I can assure you, while I am moderately out of shape, I have never had a back problem until I took this role.

The point is I now find myself avoiding situations where I have to pick up my son. It is really frustrating and sad, and it makes me think of the other 80 million Americans with back pain. How many of them are moms and dads that now have to struggle through the pain and/or cut back on how they play and interact with their children.

While I have been in health for almost a decade building education for HIV, Diabetes and Cancer patients/physicians, I am shocked at the impact of severe back pain on family life. Of course almost 80% of back pain will diminish in 6-8 weeks, especially when rest is coupled with improved nutrition, core strengthening, weight loss and elimination of smoking from ones list of habits, but the other 20% is debilitating with a significant impact on your frame of mind.

(point of note: In spine surgery related clinical studies it has been shown that smokers do not heal as easily as non-smokers - so stop smoking if you need spine surgery)

Alas, today I am going to a physical therapist to evaluate my back and my back pain. Stay tuned for future posts where I will invite you to experience my efforts to reduce the pain in an attempt to return to my normal way of interacting with my son.

My "back pain" goals for the next week:
1) Start diet and get on the path to lose 15 lbs
2) Increase exercise from none to 3/4 days per week - improve core strength
3) See a physical therapist an a pcp for my back pain

Days living with back pain - 7

See you next post

Bill