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THE NARRATIVE ARC
The Tiniest Fix Alleviated Weeks of Back Pain
Small steps can have a huge impact
It started a month ago. I let out a primal, incoherent yelp as a band of pain formed around my lower back. I was only getting out of bed, but I was so stiff and sore it felt like the final few feet of summiting Everest. And standing was only part of the challenge. Now I had to get my legs to move. Hunched over, I lurched to the bathroom like a 95-year-old, wondering, “How did I get here?”
My back and hip flexor muscles are the first area to be affected when I’m under significant stress. I had a celebration of life ceremony coming up, and I was dreading it. The life in question was very much worthy of celebrating, but was unfairly cut short, making the feelings around it extra touchy. It would be a tough day.
A massage therapist once compared his sessions with me to digging a hole in January soil, and I imagine that would’ve been a charitable description for my tightness that day. My muscles were so stiff I wore a corset of my body’s design. I could barely stand up straight, let alone move.
It took multiple painkillers to get through the service. Afterward, I expected it to get better but the issue continued for weeks, making me hesitant to leave the house. Every time I arose from…
