“My back hurt so bad, I almost quit my job”
Imagine for a second you have a great job that you love and are good at. Now imagine you have to quit because your back hurts so bad it is nearly impossible to get the job done. This was exactly what our client Sally was faced with.
Here is a quick story about how we were able to help her.
Our friend Sally had intense burning back pain as a server in a busy restaurant. She was a crowd favorite, regulars came in just to see her! She loved her job and has been working at the restaurant for years.
Her job is quite labor intensive, as it requires heavy lifting and being on her feet all day.
Specifically for Sally, the big issue was reaching into the service window to pull out and carry a lot of heavy plates which is a huge part of the gig.
During every shift, Like clockwork, after a few hours, she would get this burning back pain that would cripple her and limit what she could do at work.
She would get home and barely be able to shower and change because of the pain, sometimes it was so bad she would have to sleep in her work clothes.
This went on for months, and she tried everything to help feel better with little results. She found some temporary relief from ice, heat, pain pills, and stretching, but got super frustrated because it just kept coming back every shift.
After almost a year of suffering Sally hit her limit, she got to the point of wanting to quit her job because of the pain. “It is excruciating, I can’t focus on anything else besides wanting to get rid of it,” Sally told us.
Thankfully, Sally’s yoga instructor connected us and she decided to go through our process and commit to making a plan around the outcomes she wanted.
When Sally came to us for help we looked at the way she was carrying and grabbing trays from the serving window. We noticed she was leaning back a lot which was putting so much pressure on her lower back and causing pain.
When she was in this position she was not able to brace properly to protect her back when carrying the heavy plates.
Our solution was simple: teach her to stack and brace her trunk to be able to do her job effectively.
She took what she learned in that session and used it at work with amazing success.
She told us that back to back on her busiest days she was able to function with almost no pain! Sally was thrilled that such a small change had such a big impact.
The best part is that was only the beginning. Getting out of pain was an important first step, but Sally is in it for the long term. Now that she is feeling good we can focus on staying pain-free and her long-term goals to be more active in the gym and at yoga.
Addressing the underlying cause of her back pain at work set the foundation for her to get back to feeling strong, safe, confident, and excited to progress.
If Sally’s story hit home because you are struggling with similar issues, are sick of the quick fixes, and looking for long-lasting results, click the link below to schedule a consultation with Dr. Bruno to hear how we could help.
