How having torn my lower back muscles was a good thing (eventually).
As I'm working on a project and sitting behind the computer a bit more these days, without any back issues for about 5 years now, I'm reminded that it wasn't always that great. At it's worst, about 6 years ago, some days were living nightmares. I had the exercise ball. I had the balance disc. I hated them so much. I even tried kneeling (until my knees went numb). There even came 12+ hour workdays, when I needed to alternate between all those damned options several times, while taking short walking breaks to go pop another pain-killer. It somehow didn't seem as crazy then. Sure, nowadays standing desks exist. I just don't need one. I'm quite comfortable sitting on the same Ikea Markus chair that I did 6 years ago. Painless. And still sitting like a slouch most of the time.
»It’s still quite embarassing«
There was no magical product that made things better all of a sudden. And clearly, I wasn't doing anything but just treating symptoms of someone who doesn't invest in himself. Something needed to happen to break my back pain cycle. And it did. In an embarassing and super weird way. It starts with me wet-mopping the floor. I come across a spot that had been there ever since my girlfriend and I moved into the apartment, but just then, as I sweep across it for the N-th time, I get the impression that I just managed to make the familiar spot a bit smaller. I have to make sure. I use all my strength and I mop. I mop like that spot is my sworn enemy and this is our final duel. I want to win so bad. So I push harder and put my back into it. And then the mop snaps! Without anything to lean on anymore, my upper body is suddenly pushed into the direction of the floor and there’s an explosion of pain in my lower back. It wasn't just the mop that had snapped. I had several micro tears (up to 1,5cm) going all the way from my pelvis to the scapula. It hurt very much more than anything I had experienced before. And I had managed to do it to myself...as I was mopping the floor. Yup, it's still quite embarassing.
»10-15 minutes«
I needed some physiotheraphy and started doing a series of daily exercises. I basically had to move smart every day and monitor how my back felt as I did. And, in a way, it's something that I continue to do to still. These days, my daily exercises are a habit and have changed a dramatically since then, but throughout, most of them have been core-strengthening in one way or another and require only 10-15 minutes. It's this reason that my back pain has never come back after my intense mopping battle, even though I lost that particular fight. At the same time, by having lived and moved through this story, I'm eternally reminded that nothing can change if we don't invest and regularly put in the work. Note to self: also, definitely mop less intensely.