Earlier this year, I wrote a post talking about the mental healing process I went through to forgive someone for an unnecessary injury caused while training karate. Long story short, someone did something they shouldn’t that left me with seemingly permanent neck pain. For years, I’ve lived with that pain, with no clue what specifically was wrong. This week, that all changed.
Turns out I have a herniated disc in my neck. Now if you’re like me, you have no idea what that means. The only reason I do is because I finally went for an MRI, and the results came back saying I had exactly that. It’s a pretty severe injury; basically, our spine is made up of links called vertebrae. Each of these links are separated by a soft disc that acts like a shock absorber, allowing our spine to twist and flex freely without pain.
When above-average pressure is put on the spine, it can cause the disc to pop out of their spot; that’s called a bulging disc. When the disc ruptures like a blown-out tire, it’s called a herniated disc. It basically means that two segments of your spine are grinding up against each other, and it’s not great.
Now if you read my original post, you might think this is my post where I take it all back and say “forget everything, I don’t forgive. I’m mad as hell and I’m not ok.”
You’d be wrong, though.
The fact is that I’m relieved. I’m relieved that, after years of chronic pain in my neck and back, I know what the heck is wrong with me. Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t, as the saying goes. Now that I know, I can work with my doctor and physiotherapist to put together a proper rehab plan, and I can start focusing on getting better.
It turns out that a herniated disc can often be healed without surgery, as long as you take the right precautions not to make matters worse. I believe that, with a commitment to following a solid rehab routine and a healthy dose of determination, a herniated disc doesn’t have to be the end of the line. Being angry about it just like drinking poison and then expecting the other guy to die… it’s useless. But being determined? Being willing to say “hell no, there’s no way I’m going to let this thing get me down, and I’ll do whatever I need to do to get back in the game”?
Now that’s powerful.
