Proactive Concepts for Human Movement & Fixing Back Pain
How I Overcame Career Ending Back Pain
After 10 years of competitive track and field I finally hit my stride: I was crushing my long standing personal bests, won a national title, and earned the privilege to compete at international events. These results didn’t come without a cost. During my last two years of competing I endured crippling back pain that repeatedly sidelined training and was even starting to negatively affect my education and job. Some days pain was so bad all I could do was lie on the ground. After scraping by my last season of competition I knew I needed to make a change. I hung up my many track and field shoes and focused on my osteopathic training as well as my own health. Three years later I find myself on my feet every day working as an osteopath, and training for World’s Toughest Mudder, a 24 hour obstacle course race pain-free.
So what did I start doing differently?
First, I saw my osteopath regularly. Years of jumping off and hurdling with the same leg, and throwing with the same arm created more twists and turns in my spine than a plate of spaghetti. Until I corrected these I would never move properly, and as long as I wasn’t moving properly I would only be creating more problems for myself.
Second, I needed to make changes to my postural habits. If I’m so healthy and active, why am I in so much pain? The silent killer for active individuals is sitting. Working out and training your muscles is great but its physiological purpose is to strengthen those movements. Doing a big lift or going on a good run followed by a nine hour desk job causes those strained muscles to rebuild themselves in the seated position. This is as true for knee, hip, and back pain as it is for shoulder, wrist and neck pain. So I embraced the dynamic workstation. I built a sit-to-stand desk in my office, I frequently adjust the height of my treatment stool, and when I kick back to play some video games I switch between the couch, a swiss ball and standing.
The cherry on top for me was finding a means to stay active that I enjoyed that didn’t pull me back into body-destroying habits. This is going to be unique to every individual, but for me it was trail running and rock climbing. The softness of the trails was therapeutic to my traumatized joints, while the challenge of roots and bumps and hills challenged my strength, agility, and ankle stability. Rock climbing was a way to incorporate upper body and core strength, but as I improved it became a source of mobility and coordination training.
Final Thoughts
Being proactive about your pain doesn’t have to be time consuming, expensive, or complicated. What it requires is a plan and the discipline to see it through. Professional help makes sure your body will be receptive to change. A conscious effort on posture changes will help your body stay healthy and dynamic. This doesn’t simply mean get a standing desk and call it a day, this means get up and move around, sit down and rest your legs, and not stay in the same position any longer than an hour where it’s possible. What I tell my patients is “the next position is your best position”. To put everything together, find activities you enjoy that make you feel good. If it causes you aches and pains, first ask yourself why, then what can you do to fix it, and always be willing to ask for help!
Yours in health,
Chris Rochon, M.OMSc, BA Kinesiology
Director, OSTCAN Ontario
