Recovery story: Ben’s journey from chronic pain back to an active lifestyle

Meet Ben

I’m a 44 year old criminal lawyer and have tried to remain very physically active my whole life.

Around 18 months ago I re-injured my lower back while surfing after having experienced earlier non-chronic lower back injuries that came about I think from a combination of years of surfing, running and Crossfit training. I have never had a formal diagnosis, but when I was in acute pain it was thought that I had probably suffered from a disc compression injury.

When acute pain turned chronic

However following my latest injury, the pain didn’t eventually go away like on other occasions. Within around 6 months I realised I had ended up with chronic lower back pain, and the physiotherapy I was receiving at the time was not working and so I gave it up. I have never really experienced sciatica or significant disability, but just an enduring and nagging and sometimes very painful aching in my back that I noticed was exacerbated by exercises that I used to find therapeutic and further aggravated by stress, particularly the stress in my work.

I tried researching treatment for lower back pain online and participated in a couple of online targeted back pain programs, but had only limited success.

The impacts of chronic pain

As a result I gradually stopped doing almost every physical activity that I used to get so much enjoyment out of, and was limited to some basic stretching and easy walking. I became depressed and felt a bit hopeless about how to resolve my pain.

The challenge of finding effective management strategies

I wasn’t sure whether I should consult a pain specialist with a view to receiving spinal injections. I have always been determined however to avoid any kind of surgery. I can say categorically that chronic lower back pain has been the worst physical and mental medical condition that I have ever experienced.

The benefits of learning about the pain system

Around six months ago I decided to consult a new physiotherapist. Fortunately he was well trained in dealing with chronic pain and provided very helpful education about the interaction of the central nervous system in pain regulation and pain sensitivity more generally.

My physio sessions changed from massages and mechanical treatment to discussions about pain sensitivity and some exercises targeted at gradually reducing same.

Finding the Relio program

Fortuitously it was while engaging with this new type of physiotherapy that I came across Mindset Health on social media and volunteered for participation in the Relio program upon realising it was also targeted at addressing the root cause of pain - being the pain system itself, rather than some old and quite possibly healed injury.

The benefits of the Relio program

Having just completed the six week program I can say that while I enjoyed the relaxation and therapy of the hypnosis sessions, it was really the education that for me provided the most compelling results.

The biggest things that I learned was about the communication between my back and brain and how this was impacting upon my pain. I realised that my pain system had become so sensitive that even the smallest changes, movements or exercises that involved my lower back resulted in a disproportionately reactive response from my brain, interpreting those movements as something worthy of a pain response.

I learned that there is a way in which to “recalibrate” the pain system and to dial down pain sensitivity so that ordinary and non-threatening exercises would not result in a pain response or flare up.

Reclaiming quality of life

Through continued and daily education, positive affirmations, re-engagement in physical activities in a controlled and tempered way, together with the benefits of calming hypnotherapy sessions I have been able to finally start to meaningfully dial down my pain sensitivity to allow me to get back to doing some of the things that back pain took away from me.

I really enjoyed how the program helps to build confidence and proactively supports the re-integration of physical activity. The things you learn in education and hypnosis are things you can call upon while engaging in new and challenging physical activities, replacing fear of re-injury with hope and confidence.

I am no longer stressed about long periods of sitting (eg driving or flying), and I can effectively deal with the stress responses from work that historically have made the pain very difficult to manage. One of the benefits of the hypnosis component of the program has been the ability to quiet down my pain responses from stress quickly and efficiently through the 15 minute hypnosis sessions.

Advice for others considering Relio

I would definitely recommend the program to anyone looking for meaningful long term results in their back pain journey and who are tired of the miscommunication, mixed messages and noise that you experience when trying to find a solution to chronic back pain online. I think it’s important to keep an open mind and be open to the experience and practice that goes into re-calibrating your pain system. But every second of effort is worth the results, which for me so far have been extremely positive.

I plan on continuing to work on my pain system through the ongoing maintenance program and I hope that this message can help someone else out there who I know will be suffering just like I was before finding the right solution.

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