Estimated reading time: 11 minutes
Slipped Disc – It does not only come with age. For me, it came from my responsibility as a mum with scoliosis.
My Slipped Disc Story
I was diagnosed with mild scoliosis at a young age, and I am thankful that I did not have to go through any invasive spine surgery. However, a friend of mine from my university days went through the ordeal when she was a teenager. And gosh, she was bedridden for six months to recuperate.
My scoliosis gave me a mildly hunched back and crooked shoulders and hips. The S-spine results in excessive pressure on one side of each disc along my lumbar. That gave me occasional back pain in my younger days.
My spine health began to degenerate when I became a mother. Back discomfort recurred more frequently, and I assumed that the pain was due to ageing.
During my twin pregnancy, I had to go through 6 months of bed rest to ensure the twins’ safety. As a result, my lower back muscles were significantly weakened since my gynaecologist prohibited exercises and mere walks, even if it was confined within the house.
After the twins were born, I carried both of them all day long, often at the same time. This situation continued for three years. Carrying the twins’ weight for an extended period caused uneven pressure on my discs.
Unknowingly over time, one of my discs herniated. The chronic pain radiated toward my hip flexors and legs. The torment was perpetual. There were days when I had to stay in bed for the entire day. I was immobilised.
I decided to see an orthopaedic to find out my issue.
He ordered an MRI and concluded that one of my discs was bulging out, which means a case of slipped disc. The disc’s surface had dried up and cracked, such that the gel-like inner core leaked out.
My disc is comparable to a stale mochi with fillings leaking out in the doctor’s own words.
It did not help that my lower back muscles were frail. It was incapable of adequately holding up my upper body weight. The orthopaedic could quickly tell from the MRI scan that my lower back showed beautiful layers of fats that resembled wagyu beef.
He sent me off to a physiotherapist for pain reduction treatments and reminded me to start doing low-intensity exercise to strengthen my lower back.
Through my 6-month physiotherapy program, the therapist helped me reduce my slipped disc pain and helped me find my triggers and techniques to avoid them.
My Slipped Disc Pain Triggers
Bad Shoes
There was once I wore a fashionable pair of flat pumps for a 4-hour outing in the shopping mall. Unfortunately, the flat shoes had thin stiff soles and no cushioning. As a result, I had to stay in bed in pain for the rest of the entire day.
When I told my physiotherapist about the experience, she warned me against making bad shoe choices in the future.
Heavy Loads
Carrying the twins as they grew older became hard for me. My damaged disc compressed further with no strong back muscles to support the weight pressing down my spine. Hence I stopped lifting them by the time they turned three.
5 Effective Ways To Reduce My Slipped Disc Pain
I have experimented with many ways to manage my back pain.
Going to the physiotherapist each time pain returned was too expensive for us. Moreover, the slipped disc cannot be adjusted without surgery, yet my condition is not as severe enough to warrant major surgery on the spine.
Hence, I have to learn to live with it for the rest of my life, avoid activities that will trigger the pain and find some sustainable pain management methods that will not cost us a bomb.
Sharing my experiences here, out of which five methods are effective for me, whereas the rest are not. However, as everyone’s body responds differently to treatments, I will still share all the methods I have tried before for your reference. What doesn’t work for me may work for you instead.
Seeing A Specialist
Regardless price tag, I had to see a specialist for a start to find the root of the problem. And he, in turn, referred me to a physiotherapist. I am so glad that I went.
A physiotherapist has an in-depth knowledge of how our body works. After reading my MRI scan and understanding my lifestyle and needs, my therapist started by reducing my slipped disc pain via traction to lengthen the spine and ultra-sound to lessen the pain. She also taught me strategies to avoid and alleviate the pain.
While the treatment was expensive, it effectively reduced my lower back pain. But, more importantly, I learned from her ways to protect myself. These are skills that I can use for the rest of my life.
Hydrotherapy
My physiotherapist instructed me to walk in the pool for as many laps as possible, forward, backward and sideways. The buoyancy in the pool reduces our weight and hence lifts off some pressure from my spine.
Water helps increase blood flow to sore muscles and joints, which may also help reduce pain. Well, it has worked for me.
I am still doing the walks in the pool these days as part of a multi-tasking mum’s responsibility. So I get to watch the kids enjoying each other’s company in the pool while exercising my lower back and reducing pain at the same time.
Heat Pack
Heat boosts blood circulation, which speeds up the delivery of nutrients and oxygen to the painful joints and muscles for muscle repair.
However, I didn’t quite like using the heat pack, which came in a silicon water bottle as recommended by my physiotherapist. She taught me to cover the bottle with a towel in case the bottle became too hot and burned me instead. But I still had difficulty finding a comfortable temperature that did not burn my skin and yet could effectively reduce my pain.
doTerra’s Deep Blue
I rely heavily on doTerra’s Deep Blue products, mainly the muscle rub in cream and stick form and the Deep Blue Polyphenol Complex.
The muscle rub works well for generic muscle pain that I experience after exercising. However, the rub cannot reach deep down into my spine and does not do much for my spine pain.
The Deep Blue Polyphenol Complex works like magic. Take the supplement together with copaiba softgel; my pain level is much more manageable. I started off taking the supplements daily two years ago. Today, I only need them twice a week. There were even times when I was entirely off the supplements for a week before the slipped disc pain bothered me so much that I remembered that I had this remedy to rely on.
What is Deep Blue Polyphenol Complex?
Deep Blue Polyphenol Complex is a supplement produced by doTerra, a leading essential oil company in the United States that carries 100% pure essential oils that independent and established laboratories test for the aromatic plant industry.
Deep Blue Polyphenol Complex contains polyphenol extracts from various plants. Polyphenols are plant compounds that act as antioxidants and may also help with reducing inflammation. The multiple plants include frankincense, turmeric, green tea, ginger, pomegranate, and grape seed, all known for relieving joint pains. Refer to the hyperlinks for the scientific research of each plant if you are keen to learn more.
Copaiba Softgel
Copaiba softgel consists of copaiba resin whose main component is beta-caryophyllene which works as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug and hence works well for reducing pain.
If you want to read more scientific research on copaiba, refer to the preceding website link to the National Library of Medicine under the United States government for more information.
I am only sharing my personal experience on the effectiveness of the supplements here.
If you want to try out the supplement, please DM me on my social media or email me at melissatanps@mychirpylife.com. But do your research on the products before that. Also, check diligently with your doctor whether there is any contraindication in the ingredients if you are taking any existing medication.
Waist Support
The waist support works well when my back pain is mild. It also forces me to keep my posture upright while working seated or walking around doing chores. I will also wear waist support when I know that I will be standing or walking for long hours on a particular day to relieve the pressure on my spine.
The waist belt I am wearing below is from Ebene, available in Lazada and Watson. I previously bought a few cheaper ones from overseas, but they did not work. Sometimes, we still have to trust that established brands work better, albeit with a higher price tag.
However, when the pain starts radiating down my hip flexors, I know that it is not effective anymore because the pain in the hip flexors does not go anyway, even after wearing the waist support for hours.
Nonetheless, it is still my second favourite remedy to go to.
Wearing The Right Shoes
Wearing shoes with a lot of support is not a remedy. Instead, it is a lifestyle change.
As advised by my physiotherapist, I wear running shoes with tons of sole support and, ideally, ankle support to cushion the impact on my spine when I walk long distances or run.
Hence, I am very particular about my shoe selection.
I started with Adidas Ultraboost, which boasts of its ability to absorb the impact of every step made. I liked my first pair so much that I bought another.
However, I noticed that the soles seemed to thin out after a year of consecutive use. So these days, I pair the shoes with dresses and jeans for errands.
Subsequently, I decided to try out Asics, a brand recommended by my physiotherapist. While their shoes are probably less known than Adidas, my physiotherapist swore by them, and hence I tried.
Indeed! The soles are thick and supportive and have yet to wear out after six months.
This economical pair below is known as GEL-KAYANO 27 (D).
Also, check out my review on the comfortable Lucca Vudor shoes that you can wear for office and formal occasions.
Plaster Does Not Work
Before seeing my physiotherapist, I only knew of plasters that supposedly help with muscle pains. I used those for years, but I often end up in skin rashes regardless of the brand.
After learning from my physiotherapist and discovering doTerra products, I feel a lot more empowered to manage my back pain on my own.
Today, I am back to hiking and running, which I could not imagine myself doing so freely without any unbearable pain.
I hope you find this post helpful.
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