How I Fixed My Back Pain Naturally (After Thinking I’d Be Stuck With It Forever)

How I Fixed My Back Pain Naturally (After Thinking I’d Be Stuck With It Forever)

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With all the effort I put into my health, happiness, and overall well-being, I never imagined I’d be dealing with serious back pain at 30 years old.

• I went to the gym.

• I walked regularly.

• I practiced yoga.

I did everything you’re supposed to do.

And yet, one ordinary morning—after a gentle yoga flow—I stretched… and suddenly felt an overwhelming pain that stopped me in my tracks. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t function. Even the simplest tasks felt impossible.

That was the moment my relationship with my body changed.

“It’s Just Muscle Spasms”

Terrified, I went straight to the doctor.

The diagnosis?
Muscle spasms.

I was sent home with medication to dull the pain and told it would pass. And for a while, it did. About a month later, I felt recovered enough to go on a backpacking trip to Turkey that I’d already planned.

I thought the worst was behind me.

It wasn’t.

When the Pain Came Back—Worse

Eight months later, I felt another tweak in my back at the gym.

This time, the pain lingered.

It spread across my lower back, into my hips, glutes, and hamstrings. I stretched constantly, convinced it was muscular. Back to the doctor I went—again reassured there was no spinal damage—and sent off with anti-inflammatories and a round of physical therapy.

The physical therapist.
The osteopath.
The acupuncturist.
The masseuse.

Everyone agreed: “It’s muscular.”

And yet… the pain wouldn’t go away.

Why This Approach Was Different

Stuart McGill isn’t guessing—he’s the expert who brings elite athletes back from career-ending injuries.

What made his work different was simple but powerful:

• Understanding spinal mechanics
  

• Removing harmful myths about “stretching through pain”
  

• Teaching how to stabilize and protect the spine
  

• Building resilience instead of chasing temporary relief

For the first time, things actually made sense.

And for the first time, I started improving—naturally.

What This Journey Taught Me

Back pain taught me lessons I never expected:

• Pain doesn’t always mean damage—but it does demand respect
  

• Rest alone isn’t the answer
  

• Doing “more” isn’t always better
  

• And most importantly: you need the right information

Not more treatments.
Not more opinions.
Not more fear.

Where I Am Now

That book was worth every single penny.

It changed how I move, how I train, and how I understand my body.
Although I am still on the journey to recovery, it gave me hope when I had almost none left.

👉 If you’re dealing with persistent back pain and feel like you’ve tried everything, I can’t recommend it enough.

Stay tuned for future posts where I’ll break down exactly what I did to get out of pain—and stay out of it.

Because I really thought I’d be stuck like this forever but turns out I wasn't.

When Pain Starts to Take Over Your Life

The pain began presenting in strange ways:

• Tightness in my piriformis
  

• Dull pain in my psoas
  

• Cramp-like sensations that felt like menstrual pain—even when I wasn’t on my period
  

• Aching that trailed up my back

I still worked out—but conservatively.
I strengthened my core.
I avoided movements that scared me.

At some point, I quietly accepted the idea that maybe back pain was just something I had to live with.

So I did what many people do when they’re desperate:
I stayed up late researching.

The Turning Point: When It Got Worse

Then the pain progressed.

It traveled down my leg… into my calf.
Relentless tightness. Constant discomfort.

That’s when I knew something wasn’t right.

I went back to the doctor—this time determined to get answers. An MRI was scheduled.

Finally, clarity.

The Diagnosis That Changed Everything

The MRI revealed the real cause:
A disc herniation at L5/S1.

So much for “purely muscular.”

Oddly enough, just knowing the truth brought relief—but the pain itself was still there. Constant. Radiating. Throbbing down my right leg. Sitting for more than 15 minutes felt impossible.

The doctor laid out my options:

• Physical therapy
  

• A cortisone spinal injection
  

• And if that didn’t work… surgery

It’s amazing how quickly surgery becomes an option when it’s not your body.

Feeling like I had no other choice, I went ahead with the spinal injection.

When the “Solution” Stopped Working

For about two months, the injection helped.

Then, six weeks into physical therapy, I overdid it.

One wrong move—and all the relief disappeared.
Just like that, I was months backward in progress.

That’s when I truly thought surgery was inevitable.

The Book That Changed Everything

Then something unexpected happened.

My physical therapist recommended a book:
Back Mechanic by Stuart McGill

The description reeled me in immediately:

“If you’ve tried everything to fix your back pain and are told surgery is your only option—this book is for you.”

It felt like it was written for me.

And it was a game changer.