If you’ve ever suffered lower back pain or are now on the mend from a back injury, you’ll know this to be true.

Back pain really sucks.

Most people have a back pain story – here’s mine!

In 2021, during one of the (many) COVID lock-downs, I underwent a discectomy operation.

I had a herniated disc at L5-S1.

Sounds like the grand prix pole position!

In fact, it is a critical point in the spine. It’s called the lumbosacral joint and it’s the place where the upper body meets and then transfers the loads from the spine down into the lower body, or the pelvis and legs.

Or to get more technical, it’s where the fifth and final vertebra in the lower back (lumbar region) meets the first vertebra in the pelvis (sacral region).

So my experience of back pain relates to having a spinal disc that bulged and herniated in the lower back, resulting in sciatica.

Experiential learning

During those six months of pain that culminated in surgery, I learned a lot. In fact, it actually changed my life for the better. But ugh, it was a tough time.

As I bounced between physiotherapists and specialist doctors (along with Dr Google!), I became more intrigued by these 26 amazing pivot points that keep our spine stable.

So what’s the story with these intervertebral discs and why can they cause so much pain?

Disc-o-tech

Here’s where things get a little tech. I’m going to describe what goes on with our anatomy, in particular our spine, and specifically, our spinal discs.

The reason I’m so interested in these amazing structures is because they really are the unsung heroes of back health!

[Note that I’m no doctor, so if you’re reading this because you have back issues, you’ll no doubt be doing your own research, and hopefully finding professionals who can help you navigate this tricky topic.]

What I’m sharing here is what I’ve learned so far about the anatomy side and how I dealt with my injury, pain management and surgery. Perhaps my story can help you.

What are spinal discs and what do they do?

The discs in our spine are like shock absorbers or spacers that individuate each vertebra. They act like stress distributors and also facilitate movement and motion, all while glueing the vertebral body segments together like a matrix.

Are spinal discs like jelly doughnuts?

It comes as no surprise that these incredible structures are shaped like…discs!

On the outside is the annulus fibrosus - a series of concentric rings that are made of durable fibrous tissue. Each ring has fibres that run diagonally (or obliquely) and each ring runs opposite each other, like a cross-hatch pattern.

My surgeon described the discs as having the consistency of soft leather. I started to visualise this section of rings as being like a thick but soft and pliable leather coin purse!

These rings then contain the centre pulp, or nucleus pulposus, which acts as the shock absorber and movement facilitator. The consistency of this pulp is jelly-like because it consists of water, proteins and collagen.

So, the way I look at them, our spinal discs are like soft leather coin purses with a gel-like structure inside.

What is a spinal disc bulge?

Here’s where things can get annoying or, in my case, painful.

When there is a bulge, the disc is squeezed, and the pulp pushes into the rings and distorts the shape of the disc. If the bulge of the disc pushes against a spinal nerve…yeeouch!

Lots of people can have a disc bulge that doesn’t cause any grief. That’s because it may not be in contact with a nerve.

But if you have a disc bulge that is pressing on a nerve, it can cause numbness, tingling, weakness or in my case, pain. And it can change over time from a little to a lot, particularly if you ignore the symptoms or don’t look after your back health.

How do discs rupture or even herniate?

Disc ruptures, or slipped discs, can happen out of the blue. They’re often the result of gradual wear and tear, or disc degeneration. Like many things in our bodies, discs change as we age. They naturally become less flexible and more prone to tearing or rupturing, with even a minor strain or twist.

In my case, I can pinpoint the most likely cause of my herniated disk. I had just moved house and had to move a fridge up a long flight of stairs. I was using my back muscles in a counterproductive way. While lifting that heavy object, I was also twisting and turning. It really strained my back.

In hindsight, I should have been much more mindful of the serious nature of the task. In fact, I probably should have hired a professional to do it!

After that strain, I continued to carry on with day-to-day activities as if nothing had happened. I pushed through the pain. I was lifting boxes, sitting for long periods of time, and not allowing for rest and repair. Worst of all, during that time, I was practising some yoga poses in an unsafe way.

By ignoring the pain and being ignorant of how I was exacerbating the issue, I made things worse.

What is sciatica?

This technical term refers to the pain you can experience when something irritates your sciatic nerve.

What’s the sciatic nerve? It’s the longest, largest nerve in your body. Its root starts just outside of your spine in the lower back and travels through your pelvis, then your bum and then branches off into different areas down the back of each leg.

It’s there to help the muscles in your legs and feet move (motor function) and also to help you feel sensations in your legs (sensory function).

And oh boy, what a fabulous job it does on that front. Talk about sensory overload!

What is a discectomy?

My disc bulged and then herniated. After exhausting every type of physio treatment I could access, along with acupuncture and even reiki, the nature of my injury meant that the option to have surgery came up again and again.

In the end, I was advised by two surgeons and three physios to have a discectomy.

Making the decision to go through that operation was very difficult for me. I wanted to find a more ‘natural’ way to resolve the problem. But after six months of frequent physio appointments, various daily exercises, sleepless nights, miserable days and lots of painkillers, I reached the point of no return. I found excellent medical professionals, and then I made the right choice for me, which was to have the discectomy.

I went through the surgery on my own due to COVID restrictions, but thankfully, the medical staff were incredible and gave me lots of support.

I was put under a general anaesthetic and the surgery took about 30 minutes. Once I recovered from the general, I gingerly stood up to see whether the surgery had been successful. The pain relief was immediate!

I still experienced some uncomfortable pain as I recovered over the following weeks, but the extreme sciatica pain dissipated. It was like magic.

Next steps

While I had great support from some of the professional medical experts who helped me along this journey, I found that, ultimately, I had to take control and responsibility for my own health - choosing my support team, researching, making decisions and owning my recovery.

It’s like being a solo traveller. You meet helpful people along the way. You take a few paths that lead to nowhere. You get frustrated when things don’t work out. You occasionally become really frightened about the path ahead, particularly when there seems to be no end in sight, and your symptoms get worse.

I’m happy to say that things worked out. But it has taken a long time and a lot of work to maintain back health and to look after myself so it doesn’t happen again.

My surgeon told me that one of the biggest causes of back surgery is…back surgery! Meaning if you have had back surgery before, you may well have to do it again. Particularly if you don’t change the things that brought you there in the first place.

Coming up

In my next instalment of yoga anatomy, I’ll take you through the things I learned to maintain back health, particularly as it relates to yoga. Stay tuned!