I've Got My Back

Posted by Coral Andrews Apr 5, 2007

I believe in chiropractors and have gone to one for years.

I discovered the need for a chiro when I was taking ballet – a momentary lapse of physical reasoning - but a creative exercise outlet.

My ballet mistress told me my sacroiliac was not pirouetting the way it should and said get thee to a chiropractor, hence my ballet career was short lived.

Since then, I get “cracked” once a month, and I know better then to miss several treatments.

My so called crazy life kept me from making my regular appointments for the last three months.

Too Much Bedrest combined with Not Enough Exercise equals Lower Back Red Alert.

I hate staying still and had to stay in bed to recover from Dreaded Stomach Lurgee. To make matters worse, I had this annoying red globule on my stomach which I promptly disposed of. Take that!

After seeing the chiro, I slathered ointment on my back, alternating with ice packs – 10 minutes on… 10 minutes off.

I sat on a towel on my dining room chair alternating between writhing and writing - my hind quarters confined to hard surfaces. Finally, fed up with that, I went back to my cushy office chair with a towel for support.

I fooled myself into thinking I was feeling much better.

So while bending over the dining table trying to find a CD in the Coral FM bag, I went to straighten up. I couldn’t. My whole back became Spasm Central. I'd done this before eons ago merely ascending from a car which sent me right to emergency as my whole lower being went into ...what's the word ... oh yeah .. PAIN.

Is all this back nonsense a result of my accident (when I was 15, I got hit by two cars on a highway but that’s another blog) or do I not know how to get out of a damn car-seat?

Aha! This time was different because I knew what to do to avoid emergency ward fate…

I sank down very s-l-o-w-l-y on the floor and c-r-a-w-l-e-d to the fridge to get my ointment which I immediately s-l-a-t-h-e-r-e-d on my lower back – Fr-e-e-e-e-ezing cold and then hot. Then I stayed on the floor on my hand and knees for a good 15 minutes (to the delight of my four cats) and then very s-l-o-w-l-y straightened up.

It worked…

Countless ice packs and various pain killers later, I was fine, but that red globule on my stomach was anything but.