Oh My Aching Back

Earlier this week my doctor reevaluated my back injury. To catch everyone up, in August I somehow managed to pull a muscle in my back. Over the next three months I ignored the issue until the pain went from an annoyance to a major issue. I was diagnosed with a severe muscle spasm in my lower back and placed on prednisone and a muscle relaxer to hopefully loosen up the spasm and allow my back to heal.

Well on Sunday of last week I played in my rec league volleyball tournament. I had a great match and went all out. Unfortunately the play aggravated the injury and by Tuesday I was having difficulty standing or sitting without considerable pain. So it was back to the doc to get more anti-inflammatory medicine and a new muscle relaxer (the first one made me feel horrible after I took it).

In addition to the meds, I also was scheduled for physical therapy. My first session was on Friday morning and it was, in a word, heavenly. My therapist, Chris, worked on my back for about 40 minutes and when he finished my back was pain free for the first time in 3 months! It only lasted for about 30 minutes before the little aches and pains returned, but it was a sweet taste of what I can expect once my treatment is finished.