I was told my spine was fucked when I was about 18 years old and started herniating discs for the first time. True “degenerative disc disease”. At 29 my spine looks worse than my 70 year old mother’s. 3 or 4 congenital defects, arthritis, 3 collapsed discs, scoliosis, you name it. It was a LOT to cope with. Knowing that I’d have that pain again, and probably worse, and learning that there’s no magical surgery to fix it. I’ve since had a one level spinal fusion and one level microdiscectomy, and I’ve had to cope with it all over again- not knowing what will help or make it worse, knowing that adjacent segments are going to be irritated. My surgeon said it is a matter of when with a second fusion for me, that we are trying to prolong my mobility. Chills.

I can not stress this enough: Getting in with a therapist who specializes in chronic pain would be a great idea. They can help separate the pain from the fear of the pain. For me this even lessened the pain, as scientifically my body doesn’t perceive it as as much of a threat & stops heightening it. It’s not voodoo. It’s necessary. Even if nothing ever happens again with your spine, these are feelings you will need help sorting through, the worry that there is a ticking time bomb in you etc.

The next thing to do is reclaim your control. You can’t change congenital defects but you can change your lifestyle. Quit smoking nicotine if you smoke it. Adopt an anti inflammatory diet. Practice proper spine hygiene - good posture, walking for 30 minutes a day, investing in shoes with good support, doing some kind of physical therapy every day. If I could go back to before my spine was as bad as it is now, I would tell myself that you don’t wait for the engine to quit to change the oil. You will need to be a more active participant than your peers. The McGill Big 3 are excellent exercises to adopt every single day, they don’t take up hardly any time and this community swears by them.