Aching Back

The last few days haven't been the best in my life, thanks to a dicey back. I was confined to the bed in my house for 10 days thanks to a back strain that has been brought about partially thanks to my work and partially due to the physical activity I subjected it to.

All this started around 2 weeks back when our manager took all the team leaders to a resort. After years of subjecting my body to increased levels of laziness and inactivity, I decided to do a 180-degree flip and exert as much as possible. I was like a man possessed, actively taking part in squash, tennis, badminton, cricket, and what not. I returned home feeling pretty pleased with myself. The first indication that things weren't right was the next day morning when all my joints creaked when I tried movement of any sort. This creaking was heard worst at the back which was extremely unreasonable to any request of movement from me. I decided to not heed these warning signs and went to office for 2 more days.

By the third day, even though the rest of the body looked more or less normal, the back was unrelenting to the point that I decided to go to a doctor to have a checkup done. I went to Manipal Hospital and met with a Dr. Hegde who assessed that I had a lower back strain. He advised that only rest was a cure for this and prescribed 7 days' rest. My initial elation at not having to work for 7 days, though, was immediately shattered when he said that I would have to lie only on my back with 2 pillows placed under my knees. He assured me, with total confidence, that any attempt on my part to not follow these instructions would result in a slip disk which could result in a much more serious issue. If not anything, this definitely made me decide to behave.

What followed was few of the toughest days in my life. For people who aren't used to it, let me tell you that there is no fun in lying down, staring up into the wall above you with a fan constantly rotating, having your leg placed in such a position that very soon your lower legs are crying out for blood supply. In fact, even sleeping lost the pleasure it usually brings for me. Ranji tried her level best to make life easy for me, but there was only so much that she could do.

After a week, I presented to the doctor's office, itching to get on with life, but since it was nearing the end of the week, he suggested that I rest for another 2-3 days before I got to my usual routine. I asked, a touch too eagerly, whether I could start sitting. Taking pity on me, I guess, rather than anything else, the doctor relented, but told me not to overdo it. I was advised not to sit for more than half an hour at a stretch, not to bend directly in front, to bend my knees to get down and pick up things, not to ever be in a reclining position, etc.

The pain hasn't totally left me, but I am here, feeling much better. The pain is present as a constant reminder of what can happen if I were to suddenly punish my body to such extremes. Having had this experience, I am planning to increase the activity level of mine so that I don't end up with such aches and pains the moment I exert even a little.