Around 35 years ago (I’m 65 now) I sustained a rugby injury that did some lower back damage. It didn’t prevent me leading an active life or continuing as a P.E. teacher. However, there were a few times when things flared up and a few days of not being completely upright resulted.
I got to recognise the signs of back instability and devised a series of core exercises in an attempt to circumvent the problem. Consequently I was able to continue with a full active life that included running, cycling and vigorous walking.
About 18 months ago things took a turn for the worse. From the time I got up in the morning fairly intense sciatic pain was only relieved by crouching down at regular intervals. I underwent physio in an attempt to strengthen the muscles around the damaged disc area but this made no significant headway. Recognising the real problem, my physio (Sue Francis – ex physio to the Zimbabwean rugby, cricket and Olympics athletic teams) recommended I saw Mr Manoj Krishna.
As a result of Mr Krishna’s examination I underwent a low back operation for L5/S1 decompression combined with dynamic stabilisation using an interspinous spacer (titanium cage). This took place on June 22nd 2009 and it was full steam ahead with the follow up physio to prepare for a challenging charity walk in October that I’d committed to the year before. It was to raise funds for the Embangweri Mission Hospital in Northern Malawi and its work in the bush amongst HIV/AIDs sufferers (£3000) raised. The success of the operation and the resultant physio meant that come early October I was deemed fit enough to take on the trek. This involved flying to Cairo, making the 8 hour transfer to the Sinai Peninsula and then climbing at night Jebul Musa ‘the mountain of Moses’ – also known as Mount Sinai. Reaching the summit as the sun rose was one of the many outstanding experiences of the Sinai trek. Other experiences included walking 20kms a day in 90 degree temperatures through wadis, over mountains and across sand dunes. Sleeping under the stars for a week was probably the highlight and a good test for the recently constructed lower back
Reaching the Red Sea after 85 kms trekking the Sinai Desert was a welcome relief. My back was ready for some gentle snorkelling among the galaxy of coloured fish and to all intense and purposes seemed to have come out of the desert better than it went in! Perhaps it was the special touch it received on the top of Mount Sinai. Moses came back down with the Ten Commandments and a glowing face, but I wonder how his back was feeling? May be Mr Krishna needs to include a trek through the Sinai as part of his post-operative recovery strategy. It worked for me!