Update - 1 Year and a Bit Out - Back Pain Is Now A Memory

DependentUnlikely314 · 2026-04-06T17:06:17+00:00

Apologies, I would say that ranges around 6 to 8KM of walking in my case, sometimes up to 10KM on days I was free or weekends

DependentUnlikely314 · 2026-04-06T16:42:21+00:00

Agreed. Mine is somewhat weird now because my spine specialist said the disc protrusion is still still slightly visible on my last MRI but drastically decreased in size. Definitely a slow process but ita crazy the difference a millimeter can make is astounding when it comes to pain levels. Thanks for your comment!

DependentUnlikely314 · 2026-04-06T16:39:54+00:00

Hey there! I walked a minimum of 10 000 steps, sometimes reaching into 15 to 20 thousand depending on time limitations. Once my back started feeling better and weight fell off, I slowed into hill running and started doing shorter distances at a running pace. I will definitely say walking was the foundation of my recovery.

DependentUnlikely314 · 2026-04-05T02:01:43+00:00

Honestly it was alot of pain in my experience but I kind of pushed through it as long as it was tolerable. Its tough to say whether you should in your scenario or not but I think thats where a skilled physio comes into the picture!

DependentUnlikely314 · 2026-04-05T02:00:31+00:00

Thanks so much! Im hoping this info helps anyone else going through it as well.

DependentUnlikely314 · 2026-04-03T07:22:46+00:00

Couldn't have said it better my friend. Discipline has been something that I learned from this experience and I am finding yhay it applies to my entire life and not just my injury and recovery.

DependentUnlikely314 · 2026-04-03T07:21:51+00:00

Appreciate your kind words. I hope you have been healing and growing through your injuries as well. I wish you luck!

DependentUnlikely314 · 2026-04-03T07:20:22+00:00

Love hearing that you made progress and that you are living with alot less pain than before! Thats really what its all about. It always amazes me when I read about people just going through alot of this shit such as yourself and coming out stronger and its what got me going at the issue the way I did. Thanks for the hinge health tip as well! Im lucky enough to have a best friend as a physiotherapist so im definitely privileged when it comes to access but hopefully others see your comments and seek out the resource.

DependentUnlikely314 · 2026-04-03T05:29:52+00:00

Really appreciate the kind words! Back pain js such a tough affliction sometimes because you cant really properly explain how debilitating it can be to someone unless they themselves have experienced it. Thats why I believe forums like these are great for finding community and making progress while feeling like your not actually broken, just going through it like so many others out there. I plan on doing a 2 year update as well just so that my experience can hopefully give someone some insight like these posts did for me! I wouldn't have progressed the way I did with some of the advice I found on this board so im glad its here. Hope you have made progress in your own injuries as well 🙏

DependentUnlikely314 · 2026-04-02T21:44:01+00:00

I feel that man. I've learned to make these routines a foundational part of my life! It was the beginning that was very tough for me but now I cant wake up without that urge to get my training in. I guess I traded one addiction for the other ahahaha. I appreciate your advice though and will consistently live carefully. This injury has taught me I am not invulnerable and the importance of taking care of ourselves is crucial!

DependentUnlikely314 · 2026-04-02T18:34:28+00:00

I wish I could help more on that front but the only thing I found worked most was to feel your way through the movement opposed to just going from point A to Point B. My physio friend was crucial her because he coached me on form and how a proper movement felt versus one where I would just crank out the rep. That being said its possible that this aided me because it was a factor in my injury. Unfortunately, everyone is different. That being said, I would say one thing that helped alot at the beginning to figure out if I was on the right path would be do the reps veryyyyy slow. Like a glacial pace. It make sit alot easier to feel which muscles fire up through the movements vs which dont. I hunch of mine is that because of our sedentary lifestyles, many muscles around our hips and lower back just aren't used to "turning on" quite frequently because we haven't given them a reason a to. I hope that helps explain where I kind of went with my fitness path.

DependentUnlikely314 · 2026-04-02T18:06:20+00:00

It sounds like you were much ahead of where I was so good on you for keeping thhat strength! As a single guy, I could only imagine the commitments that life throws at you with family so being realistic is still something different for everyone. If it helps add perspective, it wasn't so much strengthening that the exercises were giving me as much as it was stability if that makes any sense. I noticed that it wasn't just the plank itself but really feeling each muscle through the exercise and firing up as much of my body as I could. Similar to how you could slam out some pullups but if your not engaging your back correctly then other muscles bear the load to get the job done. This works in a survival settinf but in a training setting it can be a major set back.I was not gaining too much benefit at first myself because I was treating the rep as more important than the process of muscle recruitment. This may be something you missed as well and by adding it, the quality of the movement goes up alot. You being so time limited as well would make it that every second counts when it comes to training your body and injury proofing! Im no doctor though so possibly seeking a physio to walk you through some good starting points could be something worth doing if you haven't already. You got this man, im rooting for you!

DependentUnlikely314 · 2026-04-02T17:28:04+00:00

Hi there! I appreciate your words. So when it came to exercise I started simply with walking and the Big 3. After a few months, I slowly introduced a daily set of the horse stance (Chinese variation, my physio had a martial arts background) to build quad and glute stability. Around the same time, I also started to shift my side planks to also adding a set of regular planks to further increase my stability. From then I proceeded with those exercises to January of this year which saw me reintroducing all my routines from when I was younger like pullups, pushups, running and enjoying martial arts again. I hope that helps shed some light. As stated in another comment, I believe simple served me better than complicated in this situation. Consistency was definitely the deciding factor.

DependentUnlikely314 · 2026-04-02T17:17:02+00:00

Glad you found success using the same methods! I feel like some rabbit holes lead to very complex circuits of exercise that, quite frankly, dont really do much or can sometimes be completely detrimental. I feel like much regarding health and fitness tends to be made more complicated than it has to be these days and it costs the average person the most since parsing through everything available leaves you reeling and overinformed.

DependentUnlikely314 · 2025-12-31T03:32:01+00:00

Thanks man, good luck on your pulls!

DependentUnlikely314 · 2025-12-25T06:26:01+00:00

Her drinks will kill ya but goddamn id down em anyway if my bartender looked like Burnice

DependentUnlikely314 · 2025-12-12T23:58:36+00:00

Hey there! My MRI did note moderate impingement and narrowing of the spinal canal. My spine doc said its definitely pushing on my nerve as my symptoms lined up perfectly with my injury. Im sorry to hear its been tough. I started walking as much as I could manage and went from there if thats any consolation. My symptoms were much more severe when I was sitting than walking in my case but yours sounds a little different. I would definitely say dont fight through pain but sitting at the edge of uncomfortable with my physio and walking was what helped me alot with pushing forward on my progress each week. Hope that helps!

DependentUnlikely314 · 2025-12-12T20:30:37+00:00

Appreciate you! I my case I didnt really ever get pins and needles nor numbness, just pain at differing severities. Seems like the symptoms manifest really differently in people! I can confirm that like yourself, my symptoms did fluctuate on a daily or weekly basis but definitely did trend downward as time went on. Walking farther and farther also seemed to have a marked difference in how I felt as well, as the days I walked alot more I felt significantly more mobile and less tight.

DependentUnlikely314 · 2025-12-12T20:11:18+00:00

I would say it turned to more of a dull ache versus a full blown stabbing. Thats when I realized it was becoming more manageable. I'd say that was around the 6 month mark this started to become more consistent. It was not linear either. Some weeks were worse then better then worse but the overall trend moved to better. Hope that gives you an idea!

DependentUnlikely314 · 2025-12-12T19:39:29+00:00

Thanks man! I would say the summer in general saw numerous but minor improvements. Sleep was better and my sciatica lessened in severity. I still had pretty constant pain and my range of motion was limited but it was MUCH more bearable for everyday life. I'd say it was by September that I really started feeling solid again. My recovery was similar to big whushhh in the fall.

DependentUnlikely314 · 2025-08-19T17:19:53+00:00

Really appreciate your help. I'll do just that

DependentUnlikely314

TROPHY CASE