Thursday, January 05, 2017

back pain... but not so bad

I was going to get on the blog and whine piteously about the back pain I've had since Christmas—a pain whose cause I still haven't discovered—but after a longish walk this evening, during which the pain subsided substantially, I now realize I have very little to complain about. Given how beneficial tonight's walk was, I imagine I'll be doing the same thing tomorrow evening as well (walking, I mean—not complaining).

The pain is in my lower back, but it's affecting my left leg. Walking—at least during my short daytime walks—felt like moving through syrup until tonight. There's an ache, but no acute pain. I do know instinctively, though, that I can't bend sideways in either direction: to do so would be to invite that acute pain into my consciousness.*

I suspect sciatica or something related to the sciatic nerve. I'm going to the doc for my monthly checkup next week, so if I'm still in pain, I guess I'll let him know about it. What bothers me is not knowing the cause: when you don't know the cause of something painful, it's hard to know what to do to prevent it from happening again.



*UPDATE: I can bend sideways now. 'Tis a miracle!



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