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I am writing this section in hope that anyone reading it will understand the need to properly lift heavy object using your legs rather than your back. I didn't follow this simple advise when I was about 28 years old and suffered with lower back problem the rest of my life.
By proper lifting I mean bend your knees and try to keep your back fairly straight. Do not bend over from the waist without bending your knees to pick something up from the floor up to your waist. You may get away with this poor lifting posture but sooner or later it will catch up and seriously injure you. Let me explain.
About 1959 I was managing a Whirlpool plant cafeteria in Clyde, Ohio. I had been requested to cater a small dinner at the plant one evening. The room where the dinner was held was on the 2nd floor and could only be reached by stairs. Everything for the dinner, dishes, food, etc. had to be hand carried up the stairs to the room.
As the stairs were not close to the cafeteria we had to take everything to the stairs on a small cart. One load, during set up, consisted of dishes, plates, silverware, glasses, and coffee cups and saucers. These cups were in racks that held about 36 cups each. The cups were loaded on top of the cart with the dishes, etc. on the shelve.
I came down the stairs after taking up one load and stood on about the 3rd or 4th step and reached down to pick up two racks of cups. I didn't bend my knees and as soon as the cups raised off the cart I felt a severe sharp pain in my lower right back.
The pain lasted a few minutes and then I was barely able to continue carrying things to the 2nd floor and I did have difficulty returning things down the stairs after the dinner was over.
From that day on, the rest of my life, I had varying degrees of back problems.
From 1960 to 1997 I would get a serious back problem maybe twice a year and the extreme back problem once a year on average. But in 1997 I began to have extreme problems about every three months. The episode would last about a week and I would be unable to do anything normal other than watch TV, eat and sleep. Sleep during these times would normally mean getting up early (5AM) to exercise in hopes that the pain would go away.
There were several times when I almost missed important vacation times. For example, my back "went out" a week before my nephew, Bob Thomson, and I were to fly to Scotland to play golf for 6 days. But a physical therapist was able to be the back loose enough to make the 6 hour flight and play pretty good after the first day.
I soon learned not to schedule anything involving golf or travel fearing my back would "go out" and I would be unable to go. Finally, in 2002 my back "went out" for almost a four month period during which I was unable to play golf. Prior to 2001 my doctor had prescribed various medications and physical therapy but I soon learned that time was the big healer, i.e. medications and therapy only helped a bit.
In 2003 I had another four months of pain and no golf. My doctor sent me to an antitheisticologist who injected cortisone in the lower backbone and cleared up the pain within a day. I stayed pain free, expect for mild pain once in awhile, for almost four months. Then, while playing golf, I made a poor swing under a tree and felt my back "go out" again.
For the next four months it was no golf, no nothing except play at my computer, watch TV with heating pad on my back. About the 3rd month into the extreme back problem I read an article in a golf magazine about Freddy Couples, a PGA golfer, and his back problems. He said that Tom Boers was recommended to him by another player and after seeing Tom over a 3-4 day period, his back was greatly improved.
Tom Boers works for the Human Performance And Rehabilitation Center, Inc. (HPRC) of Columbus, Georgia, which is about 3.5 hours from Anderson via expressway. In a week or so when my back was still pretty sore and the current medication was not helping, I went back to my doctor and talked to him about Tom Boers.
My doctor sent me to a back specialist at the Hughston Clinic in Columbus, Ga. After an evaluation by a doctor there he referred me to Tom Boers who was only a block way. This was in September, 2003. I drove back to Columbus, Ga. three times to work with Tom, the last time was October 27, 2003. From September 22 through October 27 there were times times when I was not sure if I would ever be able to play golf again.
Tom showed me how I was not standing, walking, or sitting correctly, i.e. I was slouching. Along with doing the above correctly and with eight exercises my back began to slowly, very slowly show some improvement.
Tom asked me to email him about a week after our 2nd session to let him know how I was doing. I did so and told him I was not doing that good and I had serious reservations about my ability to play golf again. He called my at home several days later and talked quite a long time with me. He told me that since my injury was over the last 30 years it would take time to heal the it.
After my last visit to see Tom I began to play golf again. Slowly at first, used a 5 iron from ladies tee box and only swung about 75%. Gradually, I worked up to carrying 4 clubs, 3 wood, 6 iron, pitching wedge and putter but still swung only about 80-85%. Finally by mid-December I was able, or felt confident enough, to swing my driver. Being rather cautious I was not getting the distance as I was not swinging fully.
By 2004 I was almost back to my normal distance but my scoring was poor due to lack of practice. I used to have a low handicap, 3-5, but since 1998 I slipped to and 8-10. Hopefully I will regain my golfing ability and can again compete for club championships in both the men and senior divisions.
My back is still somewhat sore/stiff in the morning but after doing my exercises and reading the paper in my lazy-boy chair with a heating pad on my back, it loosen up enough to play golf. By the 2nd week of January, 2004 I was able to play golf 3-4 times a week if the weather was nice enough. My hope is that this will continue for the rest of my life.
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