I went through: not being able to comprehend the feeling in my back and leg, which developed into a leg burn and stabbing sensation, then to a dull ache, then numbness, then felt fine for a bit, then a period of on/off okay, then to feeling like I’d been shot in the spine. But getting rid of the fear and belief that my back was “weak” probably what took the longest to overcome.

I want to make it clear: am not a Doctor. I do not make any claims to be a miracle worker or medical expert, but I have helped a great deal of people in the same position I was in. I was PETRIFIED OF MOVING. It's worth saying, I didn't get better only by stretching and strengthening, "getting over it" mentally, was one of the most challenging things I have ever done.

Before my injury, I was the master at keeping my spine neutral; I could explain how to brace until your eyeballs fell out... I was a complete technique-nazi. I was already making a reputation for helping people with injuries, I loved getting people pain free and moving well, it was pretty rewarding. Even then I sympathised with people suffering from chronic lower back pain - I realigned my pelvis once and I thought it was the worst pain EVER! Two weeks of agony. Also had torn fascia one time too! That was awful!


But nothing, and I mean NOTHING, can compare to the pain I felt in February 2016.

I was more stressed out than I ever had been in my life: working two jobs, just about to have my first baby (her name is Roxy, she's absolutely beautiful) but I didn't think I was ready to be a Dad! I still find farts funny!


I was so tense all the time. I didn't care though, I could foam roll it out. After recovering myself from the Pelvis realignment & torn fascia, I felt I had a good idea of stretches, exercises and areas to foam roll to quickly get myself & others back to training well and kicking ass.


Looking back now, every warning sign was there, but I ignored them all. I needed my training, more than ever. I felt a bit of a twinge doing back squats, nothing out of the ordinary I thought, probably just need a Sports Massage.

I'll never forget the next morning.


I woke up and felt so stiff, I tried to rotate out of bed but couldn't engage my abs without my back going into spasm. Finally making it to a seated position I tried to stand. My legs buckled from under me and I hit the floor screaming. I can't even say it felt like I had been shot, I would actually imagine being shot is a lot nicer than this. It felt like the nerves in my left leg were being pulled out from the base of my spine.


The pain was shooting up and down, up and down, burning, twinge after twinge, spasm after spasm. I would have been sick if I could breathe. I was biting down on the blanket as my wife was crying asking me what to do. We made an appointment with my physio - I knew that he'd be able to help me, but the stairs were going to be a problem.

After eventually getting to his practice I stood there in silence as he told me that no, he couldn't help me.


I felt like I was standing outside myself, listening to someone else talking. I couldn't understand why. He had fixed me so many times before, my shoulder, my knee, my back those other two times, what can be so bad now that he won't even work on me? He told me with the symptoms I had it's best not to tamper or aggrivate anything until I'd had a scan.

So, off to A&E we went and I was met by an unsympathetic Doctor. I lay on my back, he lifted my leg about 3 inches and said I had "good range of motion". Normally I can put my palms flat on the floor with straight legs, but I couldn't even look down without my back hurting, let alone try bending.

I was given a perscription of painkillers. No answers, no exercises, no "Do this" or "Don't do that". Nothing.

But I had to do something. My daughter was going to be here soon, I needed to be better, for her.


Lying flat wasn't helping, the more I stayed still the more pain I was in. I decided to apply the principles I'd used in the past: for thirty minutes every morning I woke up early and did corrective exercises and activation drills, if I did this I could move a bit for the rest of the day; I could work. If I skipped it or decided to stay in bed for a bit longer, well, I'd spend the rest of the day high on painkillers.


Months went by with more visits to the Doctor, where I was told l'd "never lift weights again", I'd "always have a weak lower back", I'd "just need to manage the pain" and more. This kind of fatalistic attitude never sat well with me. I knew they were talking nonsense. But the pain was still there and I couldn't help but start to let their negative words creep in.


I was in so much pain one morning I wished I was dead.


The corrective exercises I was doing wasn't working for me. The results were always temporary and there seems to be no real improvement in my pain. I had to start researching into other methods, I refused to believe I couldn't be helped. I started reading about car crash victims and extreme case studies on pain triggers and injuries. Turns out, the top experts willingly admit we have no idea how we are wired.


I started changing the routine I had in the morning, taking bits out, adding bits in, soon I was able to get myself moving in the morning a lot faster, AND my flexibility was starting to actually improve. After a few weeks, I had no pain at all. I couldn't believe it.


The first morning being able to wake up and get out of bed made me cry. I still wasn't content though. I had no pain, but I still felt weak, and I hated that feeling.

If you're told something enough times you start to believe it. I was shit scared to go back near weights again. Being constantly told by professionals and Doctors about how my life had to change and that I'd just have to live with it, was burned deep into the back of my mind. I spend my life telling people not to be afraid and help them get stronger - where the f*ck was someone to do it for me?!


My issues were now beyond physical. After developing my morning routine, my pain was manageable. I was now entering the final and most difficult stage: mentally recovering.
 

A pain trigger is just that: something which triggers pain. If there's a movement your body deems is unsafe, the pain trigger will be activated in order to protect you. Because people who've had back injuries are subjected to so much pain, these triggers can become crazy strong, even after an injury is healed the trigger can remain. In a way, this means that the pain moves to being "in your head", though it still feels incredibly real.

The problem then arises when you avoid these trigger movements, so the fear (and therefore strength of the trigger) increases. All the while you feel like you're getting weaker. Instead, I realised I needed to find the trigger and work WITH it. Having a "conversation" with your body may seem ridiculous, but if are with someone who's hurt you comfort them and tell them that it's going to be ok - your body needs to be treated the same way.


Don't forget that when you go through a traumatic experience, your body goes through it too.

Picking exercises that are similar to positions which cause pain, but are easier and allow you to achieve will start to send positive signals through your body, telling your triggers to back off a bit. With enough persistence I've found that you can completely rewrite that trigger and get back to moving again without fear. As a nice byproduct, you also gain an increased sense of proprioception and body awareness.

Some of the things that are often recommended to people with extreme back pain is to go cycling, swim, go for short walks in order to stay active and this hands down is some of the WORST advice there is. Think about it, cycling? Go and sit in lumbar flexion for an extended period of time while stiffening up your upper back and hip flexors more? 

A lot of people that don’t regularly swim will tend to over extend their lower back making it more cranky. 

As for walking? There is just not enough full joint movement to make a difference in your flexibility or strength to help alleviate your symptoms for more than a few hours unless you accidentally start climbing a mountain... 

What you need to focus on is opening and strengthening your hips fully so that your lower back is supported better and your muscles work the way that they should instead of you shuffling everywhere. Opening up the upper back and providing more stability to the lumbar spine through core activation and balance. 

Most importantly learning how to have awareness between your hips and back so that you actually know how to brace and use your legs to lift things properly and aren’t just constantly chasing stretches to help deal with the consequences of your own bad movement. 

It's hard, I won't lie. You may have set backs and sometimes you'll feel like you are getting worse, but if you really decide that you are not done then you owe it to yourself to try, and try anything.


One tip is to not take pain killers while working on your movement, you want an accurate reading of how your body feels when you are doing exercises. Learn how to breathe properly and don't be scared of any movements. Remind yourself it's silly to be scared to do normal things: the more you convince your body that moving is safe, the more it will start to believe you.


No one should have to live their life in pain. You should try everything you can before considering surgery or being on medication forever.

The week I got my MRI scan I deadlifted 200kg just for fun and I had not had any pain for months. It still showed the protrusions, and I am still waiting on the Doctors showing me a single exercise to help me.

During this process I worked out the most effective exercises that genuinely reduced my pain and actually helped me get stronger again - not just quick fixes or temporary relief and I put them into the Simplistic Mobility Method. Since then it has helped people all over the world to reduce and eliminate pain while increasing balance in their body.

If you feel like you're stuck, I want you to know that there is a way out. Trust me, I know exactly how you feel.