What a coincidence... I'm just about to enter week 9 of sciatica and it's just turned a corner thankfully. My pain has morphed from feeling like my leg was being sliced off and crushed to a more manageable feeling of being constantly bummed by the electrified dildo of death. Believe me that's an improvement.
No lie... it's brought me to tears at least twice. I've never known anything like it in my adult life. But with a stretching/strengthening regimen and some prayer thrown in for good measure (tbh honestly I hate praying for myself) I seemed to have passed the peak.
Boy is it humbling when you can barely hobble to the end of your road. But it was probably needed in a way to humble me a bit. I don't take my ability to get up everyday and move about for granted but I think my resolve around this will increase tenfold.
I just read a quote by St. Isaac the Syrian about preparing for death every hour. It could all be snatched away at any moment and I was reminded of that again when I saw the pictures of that family who perished in the helicopter crash in NYC yesterday. When I look at something like that I really have no problems at all.
Few outside government deserve to be permabummed - except you and I it seems.
Do be careful stretching as you can tend to chase the release of pain to the point you court further injury.
In my case doing lifts has diminished the sciatic spasms which left me royally rogered.
The floor exercises shown by Dr Rowe’d Spine Care and Decompression YouTube channel have been helpful too.
I am cautious of chiropractic and would never recommend having your neck manipulated but I’ve used a good few of his exercises and they are great.
I find squats (just bodyweight - no barbell) along with barbell squats and curiously - bench press really help. I am also an avid deadlifter and this , though somewhat counterintuitive, seems to have a very beneficial if cumulative effect.
It gets worse when I can’t lift.
PS what a phrase is the E.D.D. lol / notlol indeed.
Thanks Frank I am lucky that my brother specialises in physical therapy for sports so he has been helping me out. I think the main thing is to be consistent with stretching/strengthening in your recovery and not to push yourself too far. I don’t lift myself but have been a swimmer my whole life. Squats are underrated indeed. It certainly keeps the E.D.D. at bay. My progress is slow but I count my blessings that there’s progress at all.
Good article. Half our problems stem from the fact that we're terrified of discomfort, and yet the right kind of discomfort makes us so much stronger. Exercise, lifting as you say, also fasting, which as well as cleansing the body of precancerous junk, is a fantastic way to develop willpower and focus. Overly comfortable, prosperous nanny state Western societies have therefore succumbed most to the plague of mass 3rd world immigration, which ironically is bringing pain far greater than the kind which makes us antifragile.
For you older gents out there like me - kettlebells are one of the best training gadgets invented. No gym necessary, require very little space, and the movements are simple yet effective. You can benefit a lot from very short training sessions. Gets your cardio too.
Kettlebells are mint. Check your form with a good video (pavel tsatsouline is the man who began it all) and you can get fit and strong for a few minutes a day.
My own attitude to pain changed vastly after a collapsed cervical disc; suddenly I was in a hellish world of intense nerve pain. The emergency operation involved cutting through my throat (bit of bugger for a pro opera soloist, but I couldn't have lived without it). The relief was such that the pain of a cut throat was *nothing* in comparison, and I learned to breathe into that pain and thank my body for providing it as a way to limit any movement which would hinder my healing.
I now welcome the challenge to my muscles provided by training as a dancer in my late 50s; I thank my muscles for their hard work and reassure them that the aches are a sign of progress and will disappear in time. (I don't tell them that another set of aches will soon be along to replace them! 🤣)
What a devastating fate for an opera soloist. Did you sing again?
Professional dance is extremely demanding too, and I have known one or two dancers who told me so. That is not an easy life either and requires considerable endurance and stamina.
Given your education in pain I’m a surprised you gave mine the time of day. What a story you have, and you appear to have come out of it with remarkable vim. You’re an inspiration.
Sing again I did, although I had to rebuild my voice from the bottom up, and flying blind as obviously no-one knew how to deal with it. A frustrating time. However, my voice ended up more consistent, which was an unexpected silver lining.
This dancing is for myself and the people I dance with. Singing opera is ravishing; the business is increasingly brutal and soulless. So I left the business and do not intend to entangle myself in any of its forms now. I have run away to Buenos Aires to devote my life to tango.
As you do. 🤣
And your writing is connecting thoughts within me in relation to the metaphysical aspects of pain; I'm very grateful for your work.
Well said. If I'm being honest, I'm guilty of minimizing pain, I've never been punched in the face. Not once. I avoided fights, maybe it would've been better if I took a punch at one time. Who knows?
P.S. Here's my quick review on a horror pulp series of adventures:
So can playing the victim. Many such cases. Sin is basically self destructive but we love to do it. It is impossible for man to be the instrument of his own salvation absent the grace of God.
I do like David and can and will go on about this scene. Not now mind you as I am away on the holidays but do remind me to do so after Easter Monday. I actually meant to put in an image and translation of the letter David had him write in that rather idealised vision of Marat.
Most historians will tell you that Marat worked in the bathtub because of his skin disease but it's now known that his pants were continuously catching fire....
What a coincidence... I'm just about to enter week 9 of sciatica and it's just turned a corner thankfully. My pain has morphed from feeling like my leg was being sliced off and crushed to a more manageable feeling of being constantly bummed by the electrified dildo of death. Believe me that's an improvement.
No lie... it's brought me to tears at least twice. I've never known anything like it in my adult life. But with a stretching/strengthening regimen and some prayer thrown in for good measure (tbh honestly I hate praying for myself) I seemed to have passed the peak.
Boy is it humbling when you can barely hobble to the end of your road. But it was probably needed in a way to humble me a bit. I don't take my ability to get up everyday and move about for granted but I think my resolve around this will increase tenfold.
I just read a quote by St. Isaac the Syrian about preparing for death every hour. It could all be snatched away at any moment and I was reminded of that again when I saw the pictures of that family who perished in the helicopter crash in NYC yesterday. When I look at something like that I really have no problems at all.
Few outside government deserve to be permabummed - except you and I it seems.
Do be careful stretching as you can tend to chase the release of pain to the point you court further injury.
In my case doing lifts has diminished the sciatic spasms which left me royally rogered.
The floor exercises shown by Dr Rowe’d Spine Care and Decompression YouTube channel have been helpful too.
I am cautious of chiropractic and would never recommend having your neck manipulated but I’ve used a good few of his exercises and they are great.
I find squats (just bodyweight - no barbell) along with barbell squats and curiously - bench press really help. I am also an avid deadlifter and this , though somewhat counterintuitive, seems to have a very beneficial if cumulative effect.
It gets worse when I can’t lift.
PS what a phrase is the E.D.D. lol / notlol indeed.
Thanks Frank I am lucky that my brother specialises in physical therapy for sports so he has been helping me out. I think the main thing is to be consistent with stretching/strengthening in your recovery and not to push yourself too far. I don’t lift myself but have been a swimmer my whole life. Squats are underrated indeed. It certainly keeps the E.D.D. at bay. My progress is slow but I count my blessings that there’s progress at all.
Lucky you m8. Godspeed and keep going!
Good article. Half our problems stem from the fact that we're terrified of discomfort, and yet the right kind of discomfort makes us so much stronger. Exercise, lifting as you say, also fasting, which as well as cleansing the body of precancerous junk, is a fantastic way to develop willpower and focus. Overly comfortable, prosperous nanny state Western societies have therefore succumbed most to the plague of mass 3rd world immigration, which ironically is bringing pain far greater than the kind which makes us antifragile.
Antifragile is a great concept, Zander - and well said for bringing it up. You’re quite right.
For you older gents out there like me - kettlebells are one of the best training gadgets invented. No gym necessary, require very little space, and the movements are simple yet effective. You can benefit a lot from very short training sessions. Gets your cardio too.
Kettlebells are mint. Check your form with a good video (pavel tsatsouline is the man who began it all) and you can get fit and strong for a few minutes a day.
Yes, the amount of free instruction out there is bountiful. No excuses.
A deeply thought-provoking article; thank you.
My own attitude to pain changed vastly after a collapsed cervical disc; suddenly I was in a hellish world of intense nerve pain. The emergency operation involved cutting through my throat (bit of bugger for a pro opera soloist, but I couldn't have lived without it). The relief was such that the pain of a cut throat was *nothing* in comparison, and I learned to breathe into that pain and thank my body for providing it as a way to limit any movement which would hinder my healing.
I now welcome the challenge to my muscles provided by training as a dancer in my late 50s; I thank my muscles for their hard work and reassure them that the aches are a sign of progress and will disappear in time. (I don't tell them that another set of aches will soon be along to replace them! 🤣)
What a devastating fate for an opera soloist. Did you sing again?
Professional dance is extremely demanding too, and I have known one or two dancers who told me so. That is not an easy life either and requires considerable endurance and stamina.
Given your education in pain I’m a surprised you gave mine the time of day. What a story you have, and you appear to have come out of it with remarkable vim. You’re an inspiration.
Sing again I did, although I had to rebuild my voice from the bottom up, and flying blind as obviously no-one knew how to deal with it. A frustrating time. However, my voice ended up more consistent, which was an unexpected silver lining.
This dancing is for myself and the people I dance with. Singing opera is ravishing; the business is increasingly brutal and soulless. So I left the business and do not intend to entangle myself in any of its forms now. I have run away to Buenos Aires to devote my life to tango.
As you do. 🤣
And your writing is connecting thoughts within me in relation to the metaphysical aspects of pain; I'm very grateful for your work.
What a magnificent tale is your life. Remarkable.
Outstanding piece.
Thanks.
Oh I’m glad you liked it Mrs S! Thank you for letting me know.
Well said. If I'm being honest, I'm guilty of minimizing pain, I've never been punched in the face. Not once. I avoided fights, maybe it would've been better if I took a punch at one time. Who knows?
P.S. Here's my quick review on a horror pulp series of adventures:
https://open.substack.com/pub/crusader21/p/the-casebook-of-patrick-midnight?r=2eufma&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Pain itself can be addictive. Bizarre but true.
So can playing the victim. Many such cases. Sin is basically self destructive but we love to do it. It is impossible for man to be the instrument of his own salvation absent the grace of God.
agree 200% on this one Frank.....all topics....love the memes as alwys, blessings and have a good week.....
I am glad you liked the menes Linda. They are the currency of the true intellectual.
Thank you and I hope you have a blessed Holy Week too.
I started lifting weights for back pain. It works!
Yes. YESSS! ONWARD TO VICTORY!
I’m lifting weights and reading bits of this article between sets.
G L O R I O V S
Interesting choice of artwork here. That David is a personal favorite. Do you know why Marat was writing in the bathtub when he was killed?
I do like David and can and will go on about this scene. Not now mind you as I am away on the holidays but do remind me to do so after Easter Monday. I actually meant to put in an image and translation of the letter David had him write in that rather idealised vision of Marat.
Most historians will tell you that Marat worked in the bathtub because of his skin disease but it's now known that his pants were continuously catching fire....
MAXIMUM LOL
What could possibly be the reason for this strange affliction? 🤔
Must be a French thing
I would like to see someone put Macron's head on the body of Marat in the tub. Not necessarily by cutting it off first.
Wise words indeed, Frank. Thanks for the excellent memes too.
Try the makiwara, it is good for the acceptance of pain.
Yes, it le is. Mr Shinai has his lessons, too.
Love your article because it is full of love. I have sent it around to many. Now I better practice what YOU preach.