John had retired after thirty-five years in the industry. Yes, there were people who had been in it longer but John wanted to retire while he was still healthy enough to travel. The grandkids would miss them but John and his wife, Betty, would visit them regularly when they weren’t busy visiting different countries. It was to be the best of times for John and his wife.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
Two weeks after retiring, John had a pain in his lower back that ran down his leg. It wasn’t terrible at first, just annoying, but as the days went by, the pain became worse. Normally John could push through pain but even the painkillers barely touched the torment.
When his wife insisted that he go see the doctor, John replied he didn’t want to wait that long. The doctor would only offer him drugs that would mask the pain. Betty made him an appointment anyway. When he was able to see the doctor, John found out that the painful condition he had was Sciatica. The only solutions the doctor offered were anti-inflammatories and steroids.
Sciatica is a condition where pain runs down the buttock and the leg following the path of the sciatic nerve. This is often due to inflammation and pain forming from a herniated disc or bone spur putting pressure on the lumbar spine roots. This causes anything from agony to a chronic “toothache like pain”.
Unfortunately, John’s story is similar to so many people’s stories that we hear at Valley Mist Health. The struggle to find help in shortening the healing process and reducing pain can be overwhelming. For many people, there is hope and solutions to their problem. Acupuncture in combination with other modalities, has allowed our team at Valley Mist Health to help many of those people suffering with Sciatica.
It is mentally and physically draining for anyone in pain. It is even worse when you have planned your whole life to be able to enjoy retirement and you are hit with debilitating pain that just won’t go away. You will look back at having the freedom to do what you want to do but the pain would not let you.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
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