I HURT MY BACK!

Last week, I was lifting weights at 5 am (trying to practice what I preach! the importance of exercise!) and while bending forwards, I felt the dreaded tug/pull in my lumbar spine. I limped through the rest of my workout, but was pretty miserable by the afternoon.

Here's what I wanted to do:

Lie on the couch, eating potato chips, while taking hydrocodone and ibuprofen, binge watching netflix and hoping that symptoms would pass.

Here's what I actually did: 

• Started taking a high-quality turmeric supplement two times a day.
• Every hour, I'd lay down on the ground and do a set of 5-10 pressups (for you yoga fanatics out there, kind of a cross between upward dog and cobra pose). Each time, it hurt miserably getting into the first one, but by the end of 10 I felt better. The next day my symptoms were 50% improved, by a week later gone.

When you hurt your back, it hurts to move, and every fiber of your being resists doing so. However, in many cases (especially acute cases like mine), movement is actually the CURE and you absolutely have to push through some pain and discomfort to heal. I was a little professionally embarrassed but am grateful to be healed up. I hope my experience helps someone else out there and keeps you off the couch. Keep moving! Dr. V.