How a passion for weightlifting caused a serious back injury

I have always been the type of person that pushed myself to the absolute limits of my ability.  Whether that meant academically or in sport, little did I know that just over five years ago, the drive and determination that had been so much a part of my life would lead to a back injury that would change me forever.

Until I suffered the disc herniation (slipped disc) that caused a serious back injury, I, like most people my age, thought that my approach to making progress as an athlete was more and still more.

And so, I learned the hard way. It’s funny how the lessons we learn in life that shape us are the ones that often cause us immense pain both physically and mentally – but often make us stronger and better for having gone through them.

I still remember the day that ‘it’ happened.  It was at the gym, a training session on legs that involved a lot of weight on the bar, even for me—a deep squat and intense pain on the pushup. I didn’t need my Chiropractic training to know I’d pushed it too far!

What followed was a year-long process of recovery and healing. A realisation that as much as I thought I knew, I hadn’t paid attention to the small things. I hadn’t built a solid foundation on the smaller muscle group that supports the spine. I hadn’t listened to my body. I hadn’t paid attention to my overall wellbeing. I wasn’t as strong as I thought I was. 

The aftermath and recovery from a back injury

After it happened, and as I tried to manage the injury, I thought of pushing through it.  

That was my heart speaking. However, I needed to listen to my trained Chiropractor’s mind. 

Throughout my career and now that I co-own a Chiropractic practice, I hear this often from clients that they tried to ‘push through’. My advice is don’t. This is the worst thing you can do. You need to seek the help of professionals who have experience in managing every aspect of the rehabilitation journey.

But where to start? Honestly, it was confusing for me to begin with. I didn’t know where to start. 

Eventually, with some guidance, I settled on a three-pronged approach:

1. Firstly, a physio for some pain relief and to calm the muscle groups that had been affected.
2. Secondly, a Sports Specialist to assess the impact of the damage I’d done which involved an MRI. Thankfully I didn’t have to have surgery.
3. Then third, a Chiropractor to strengthen the rehabilitation journey and provide ongoing maintenance of my condition.

To cut a long story short, and as I have mentioned, it took a full year of continuous care to get over the acute injury. Starting with intensive twice-weekly sessions, then dropping to weekly, then fortnightly and so on, to get to a point where I felt comfortable enough to return to weight training again.

It felt strange for someone that was well into their Chiropractic qualification to be on the receiving end of the treatment that I provide my clients.  

But it was the best thing.

The back injury and recovery journey gave me a sense of what my clients go through when they come to see us.   

You could say I’ve collected the ‘been there, done that’ t-shirt!

Why Alo and I started Ormiston Family Chiropractic?

I am so fortunate that my life partner and I share a passion for helping people. 

We are both Chiropractors, we both believe in a holistic approach to health and wellbeing. 

It’s interesting to note that when I was recovering, there was a decided lack of holistic wellness support available in New Zealand to aid recovery of muscle and spinal-related injuries. I was perplexed by this. From myself and Alo’s way of thinking, it was a huge gap in the country’s primary healthcare industry.

So, after a mission trip to Cook Islands together, we decided to start a holistically focused Chiropractic clinic to fill that gap. Thus, we started Ormiston Family Chiropractic in 2021 to support those people to ‘live their best life’.

The takeaways of dealing with serious back injury.

Well, there are many lessons for me in my experience that I can share, but if I distil it down to five. They are:

1. Get help early if you are injured. The longer you leave it, the worse it can become, especially if you are like me and try and push through.
2. Don’t make excuses to avoid getting help. Remember that we are a very fortunate in New Zealand that ACC will cover most injuries. It’s there, so you should use it if possible. 
3. Healing time takes a lot longer than you expect, so be patient with yourself and take the time to recover properly.
4. Work on your physical strength. Injuries are often the result of lifestyle, so make sure you have a solid foundation. 
5. A balanced life is best. Before the injury my life wasn’t balanced. It was decidedly unbalanced, particularly with my training. 

A final thought

I have no doubt that I am a better, more well rounded person because of my injury. 

As a woman, I understand the importance of my 28-day cycle and how I can use that cycle to benefit my overall fitness and wellbeing.  I now use yoga and Pilates as part of my regular wellbeing and fitness routine.

If I hadn’t gone on the journey that I did, I might never have found this out.

I hope my story will inspire you to take action if you are injured and don’t forget that if you are injured Ormiston Family Chiropractic is here to help.

 

Yours in good health,

Samantha Quézet