I recently assessed two different clients with discogenic (arising from a disc) back pain. Both had been told by their doctors that they should decrease their physical activity if they were to avoid having this arise in the future. One even had "no more running" written on their referral.
So, is recovering from a disc injury really so difficult? Do you need to decrease physical activity to stay healthy?
The answer for both questions is no.
In the management of disc injuries, the type of treatment, movement retraining and exercise is pretty well researched and laid out. The difficult part for many people is actually committing to and doing the exercises you need to.
And definitely less activity isn't the answer. Less during the acute phase, yes. And less activity while the body isn't moving well or isn't conditioned enough to deal with the sport or activity, yes. But once you have trained up properly and are using your body appropriately, you need to do more.
In recent weeks, the Canadian Alpine ski Team has been doing very well. Two notable performers from the world championships in France were Michael Janyk and John Kucera, receiving Bronze and Gold medals respectively. Both have recently dealt with significant disc injuries, one with motor nerve involvement and the other who could not get closer than 15 inches away when trying to touch his toes. Yet both are now able to perform in a sport that is especially taxing on the low back. How do they heal so well while the average person seems to suffer more? Well, they are young and fit, but the most significant difference is that they are committed to doing whatever it takes to rehab properly.
It's not just elite athletes that can do this. I am in no way an elite athlete. I work full time and have a family, but with the right exercise, my 2 lumbar disc injuries (L4-5, L5-S1) do not bother me, be it running, jumping or twisting. Only by committing to the exercises.
Harry
