By in Sports Injury

Sinead’s Story: “How to Climb Mount Everest with a Back Injury”

In 2017 many of my clients have made positive changes to their bodies and their lives. Some are only at the beginning of their journey to being happier and healthier. However they have made the first step by recognising the value of their own well-being and that we need to invest in ourselves in order to live life to the full.

One of my clients who really embraced this and was rewarded is Sinead. She kindly allowed me to tell you her story. I hope it will inspire those of you, who are facing the New Year with injury, pain, or a physical condition that holds you back from reaching for your dreams.

When I First Met Sinead

36 year old Sinead first came to see me in August this year. She walked into the room gingerly, as though scared of the impact her feet would cause on the floor. Her expression was one of doubt, hesitance and insecurity. She explained to me that her partner and her had booked a very special adventure for this November. They wanted to climb Mount Everest together. They had spend a lot of money on this trip and it was going to be an experience of a lifetime for their anniversary. They thought they were doing everything right, starting to prepare themselves early. Sinead had been seeing a Personal Trainer to get fit for the hike. As her sessions progressed Sinead started noticing some discomfort in her back, that soon develop into pain. She told her trainer “My back hurts.” Her trainer replied: “That’s normal. No pain no gain. Keep going.” Sinead kept going, until one day during her session her back went into spasm and severe pain started shooting down her leg. She could no longer hold herself upright.

Sinead was diagnosed with an acute disk prolapse in her lower back, which was pressing on a nerve and caused sciatica (nerve pain down her leg). Sinead did everything she was told by the doctors, to recover as quickly as possible. She also visited a Physiotherapist. The acute pain went away, but back ache and sciatica remained. As soon as she went back to the gym to continue her training the pain got worse again.

Making a Plan

Now, 2 months later she stood in my studio after someone had recommended Pilates to her to help with her recovery. She asked me: “Is it even possible that I can climb Mount Everest in 3 months? Do I have to cancel my trip?” I told her that everything was possible, however that I could not promise anything as her recovery depended on many things. Climbing Mount Everest in 3 months, when she could barely walk now, was an ambitious goal. I explained that ideally, she would not put herself under this pressure and allow her body to heal in its own time. Sinead explained just how important this trip was for her. She wanted to do anything she could to be able to go with her partner. She reassured me however, that she had no intention of taking a big risk on her health either.

Impressed by her clarity and determination I told her that she would have to commit time daily to her recovery. She would have to be very aware all the time about how to minimise stress on her body and her injury. I also told her that she should see me twice a week to give this a chance in the time frame we had.

Struggle

Over the course of the next few weeks Sinead seemed to struggle with her dedication and with keeping her impatience at bay. Several times she cancelled her sessions with me because of having to stay late at work. She also did not pay enough attention to her back health, by sitting for long periods of time at work, making her back feel worse. She often admitted that she was not doing the gentle mobilising exercises I gave her regularly. To make matters worse she tried to make up for the lack of practice and care by going back to the gym again, trying to push away at more challenging workouts and hurting herself again.

It took her until beginning of September to realised that she was not helping herself. She realised that what I was recommending did work, but that she had to stick to it and that she could not force her body to heal faster by compromising on it and then pushing it.

Improvement

From then on Sinead decided to see me 3 times a week and did all her exercises just as instructed. Her sciatica soon disappeared. By mid-October, her back pain was gone. Thanks to Pilates she had now learned a lot about how to use her body more safely and efficiently, and she was ready to return to the gym to carefully built her endurance and strength again. As November approached she was left with nothing but a slight feeling of weakness in her left leg and a slightly stiff hip. She still had to be careful to not overdo things, however, she felt ready to go on her adventure.

Safety Measures

During the last session we discussed what safety measures she could put in place, in case she had to cut her trip short. I wanted to make sure that she had a way out and would not feel stuck in the mountains or feel forced to continue in case she re-injured herself. I also gave her a tool kit of stretches and exercises she could do standing up, so they were practical during her hike when she felt her hip or back stiffen up.

Off I let her go to the Himalayas with a fierce hug. Over the time she was away I often thought of her and hoped that all would go well. I had asked her to let me know as soon as she could, how it all went.

Success

Two weeks later I received an email from her with a photo of her partner and her, smiling broadly at Mount Everest Base Camp. They had done it! Sinead told me that it had not been easy for her but that the stretches I gave her helped her reach the top and she was now going to give herself proper recovery time.

I was euphoric for her. Sinead is a wonderful example of someone who did not let physical issues stop her doing what she wanted to do in life. Yet she did this responsibly, putting their health first. I think we all can learn from Sinead and her balanced commitment to her physical health and her life ambitions.

If a physical issue is holding you back from going on your personal adventures in life, you can get in touch with Kristin at The Body Matters at 01702 714968 to discuss your case and how she might be able to help you.

Kristin Loeer
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