Arthritis Stories

Stay positive and take charge to fight back against your pain

If you had told me at 18 that I’d be sitting here as a 40-year-old man writing about my experiences with chronic back pain I wouldn’t have believed you.

However, when I was in my mid-twenties I discovered I had developed two fractures in my lower spine that made it impossible for me to run or play football anymore. And for a young athletic guy who had always been fit and healthy and lived for his Saturday afternoons on the football pitch this was a real hammer blow. So much so that when I was offered the option of spinal fusion surgery to try and fix it about a year after my problem first reared its ugly head, I jumped at it.

However, not only did my surgery not work as expected, it actually made the problem a whole lot worse. And this left me in a world of day-to day pain that I had never experienced before. So, over the next 4 years I had a further 4 spinal surgeries to try and improve it but to no avail and to this day I’ve never been able to get back on the football field or put on my jogging shoes again.

These failed operations and the new experience of living with chronic back pain took a real toll on me, not just physically but mentally and emotionally too. I became very down and depressed and felt real despair and fear for the future. I also felt my personality change from someone who was always very laid back and happy to someone who was becoming bitter, angry and apathetic about everything life had to offer.

I could see that my life was starting to spiral down a black hole and I knew I had to do something to drag myself out of it. So, I started researching my condition online and found that there were millions of people living with chronic back pain every day and still managing to get by. Also, many of them had far worse symptoms than I had. So, I made the decision there and then to finally accept what had happened to me and to find out what I could do to manage it and minimise its impact on my life.

This shift to a more positive way of thinking really freed me up to tackle my pain. I no longer held onto the pointless and frustrating hope of playing football again and instead focused on the things I could do rather than the things I couldn’t. So, I started trying out exercises and sports that I’d never considered before such as swimming, yoga and Pilates. And I found that these all made a massive difference to how my back felt during the day, as well as really improving my mood and sense of well-being.

Then there were the new daily habits I got into that really helped me as well. These included regular stretching which improved my flexibility and relieved the pressure and strain on my lower back, core strengthening exercises which gave my lower back more support and protection, and eating a healthy and balanced diet which limited any inflammation that may also be causing pain.

And I also became aware of things I’d never thought about before such as my posture, the chairs and mattresses I was using, and the quality and amount of sleep I was getting. And by optimising each of these areas through trial and error I found out what worked for me and what didn’t. And now I know exactly what I need to do each day to stay out of pain.

All of which means that my chronic back pain is now a background hum rather than the constant drilling in my ears that it once was. And I feel so much happier, relaxed and comfortable as a result. Because I am back in control of my life again, rather than allowing pain to have a hold over me.

And over the past few years this has enabled me to do the things I’ve always wanted to do such as completing a Psychology degree with the Open University as a mature student, going on backpacking trips all over the world, and continuing to earn my living as a Painter and Decorator without my back causing me any problems.

My experience with chronic pain also inspired me to create Back On Site, a blog where I help others fight back against their chronic back pain by giving them the information and guidance they need via my own experiences and the latest scientific and medical advice. Because I now know that chronic back pain doesn’t have to be a life sentence and we all can improve our situations by making a few changes. And if I can help even one person to live a better life through that then it will be worth it for me.

So, I guess the main message I want to get across by sharing my story is that while chronic back pain sucks and can be a massive drain on us both physically and emotionally, by staying positive and learning how to do the right things you can still live the life you want to live and do the things you want to do.

Because even though my life is now very different to the one I had before the pain started, I am happy again and hopefully you can all get there too. I wish you all the best of luck on your pain journey and good health for the future.