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Reader's story - January 2004 |
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Sarah Cain
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Don't give up!
After a seemingly minor injury in her mid-twenties, Sarah Cain had a long, disappointing and
frustrating struggle, before she found effective ways to manage her back pain
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My back problems started in 1997, when I was 24, after a minor injury doing some exercises for Tae-Kwon-Do,
a form of martial art. I had minor back pain the following day, but didn't think much more of it and
went holiday to Greece. By the end of my holiday I was in complete agony, although I did go on a
four-hour gorge walk, which probably aggravated things more.
Once home, I went to the doctor, who took one look at me, prescribed painkillers, and basically said that
they could not help and to sort it out myself!
Months went by and I eventually saw a local osteopath, who didn't help things but did say I had a
problem with my sacral joint on the right side of my back, and said to carry on with life as normal
('no pain, no gain')!
A physiotherapist at the NHS Hospital in Bristol diagnosed a slipped (prolapsed) disc. I was given exercises
to do and some group sessions in the hydrotherapy pool. My back pain was intermittent; there were some
days when I was completely fine, and (no one could explain why) at certain times of the month I would
end up in agony again and having to rely on strong painkillers.
Emergency call-outs
I decided to keep a diary of my symptoms, and soon realised that I would be vulnerable a week before my
period; if I did any form of physical work then, like vacuuming or gardening, my back pain would
return. An emergency doctor had to come to the house on one day and give me a morphine injection, and
then my own doctor gave me a cortisone injection in my pelvic area, as the muscle spasm was so painful.
More months passed and I was referred to a senior physiotherapist, who gave me more exercises. By
then I had made a private appointment to see the top back specialist in Bristol. After taking a
detailed history he again suggested it could be a prolapsed disc and offered me a MRI scan of my lower
back. A year went by and I had the MRI scan. Everything was normal but the pain continued. I had another
MRI scan of my right pelvic area; again, everything normal. By this stage most of the medical profession were
thinking that I could have a psychological problem and should see a psychiatrist - that all my back pain
was psychosomatic!
By this time I was getting even more distressed, not knowing where to turn, as I knew it was an ongoing
back injury. I was then referred to a pain clinic in Bristol, with promises of painkilling injections
and advice to help me manage the pain, but I found this a complete waste of time.
From bad to worse
After years of intermittent back pain, struggling with the medical profession, and taking strong
painkillers that were beginning to affect my stomach, I then turned to a cranial-sacral osteopath who
promised that it would be sorted out. I saw this man twice, only to find that he wasn't even a qualified
osteopath, and he suggested that my problem was a dislocated knee joint. After the second treatment I
was stuck in bed unable to move and in extreme pain, and a doctor had to come to house to give me
morphine.
Another osteopath, who was recommended to me, diagnosed a problem with my lower back vertebrae, a
sacral joint on the right side of my back and a problem in the middle of my back. I ended up spending
thousands of pounds just having my joints manipulated each time they were 'out of alignment'.
After three weeks as an inpatient in another pain clinic in Bath, seeing psychologists, osteopaths,
and physiotherapists, I spent about a year and half trying to carry out what I learnt about managing the
pain, but got nowhere and ended up relying heavily on wearing a back girdle for support.
A specialist at a private hospital then suggested that my hormones were making my joints over-flexible,
explained the fact that my old muscular back injury would flare-up when my period was due. He wanted to
inject my whole back to stick my joints stuck together a bit like cement in my lower back. After
discussion with my own osteopath, who I was seeing once a week, I opted not to go down this road, and
a good job too, as this would have made things worse!
A fresh approach
After a week's break from work I decided to see a private physiotherapist, who took one look at my back
and said that my muscles were 'as weak as a kitten'. She then printed off about 15 exercises, which I
was told to do in the morning and evening, and advised me to wear support rather than my back girdle.
After six months, and making a lot of progress, I had individual Pilates lessons which I incorporated in
my exercises to re-train my 'natural girdle' - internal stomach/pelvis muscles, which in turn support
the lumbar spine. I also changed osteopaths, to one who carries out a lot of deep tissue and muscle work
rather than manipulation, who also mentioned the link to my hormones and flexible joints. With more than
33 years experience as an osteopath in Bristol, his treatment has helped me enormously and I very much
appreciate his help.
I now manage my back pain a lot better, my absenteeism level has improved and I don't rely so much on
strong painkillers, but regularly take a course of Glucosamine Sulphate tablets and evening primrose,
which may have helped things too.
If you have the right exercise programme and support at the beginning of an injury, I believe your
recovery will be less prolonged than mine, but what I have been through has made me a stronger person,
and I would love to help and advise other people. So, to any other twenty-somethings out there, don't
give up, and don't let doctors make accusations that, because 'there's nothing on scan/x-ray' the pain
must be all in your head.
If you seek the right osteopathic treatment, and follow the correct back exercises with emphasis on
strengthening your natural girdle, you will improve like me. Good Luck!
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