How I beat back pain.

Just to set the scene a little I am a back pain veteran   I know all about being in pain and although that is not a very pleasant thing to be a pro at, at least I can share my experience of pain to give you the advice I wish I had found first time round!

Back pain is caused by so many different factors.  It could be from injury, accidents, poor posture or repetitive strain injury.  Whatever the cause, you will be happy to hear, there is a way out!

My Story....

I fell down a long flight of stairs at the age of 21 and hit every step at break-neck speed.  Only, I didn't break my neck, or my back for that matter.  I simply smashed my left bum cheek very hard, about 30 times.  6 months later?  Sciatica, leg pain, lower back pain.  12 months later? Neck pain, arm pain, calf pain...you name it.  My whole body was an aching, twinging, nervy mess.  Hot baths relieved it, massage soothed it, but nothing seemed to stop the feeling that my body did not want to be upright anymore.  This went on for two years.

I had started to get used to chronic pain.  With this pain all my dreams, ideas and sense of self were diminished, but at least I could work 20 hours a week now.  I was managing to be a living person and still see my friends.  So, it was not so bad, at least it was familiar,  although my days were plagued with fears of the future.  Then, I suffered a whiplash injury in a car accident, suddenly things were less manageable to the point of lying on the toilet floor at work on my five hour shifts.  Not really great for the self esteem of a 24 year old.  I would get home from work and go to bed and usually straight to sleep because when your body is in that much pain all the time, your whole system is in total collapse.  It is similar to having chronic fatigue.

This was the point of no return, of not being able to function and live, of feeling like I was being pulled back to the ground from the moment I woke up.  It was time to get to the bottom of back pain once and for all!

When I first experienced the pain I tried medication for about two  months before I decided that was not the way to move forward.  I then tried...

-Physios
-Chiropractors
-Reflexology
-Osteopaths
-Acupuncture
-Reiki
-Aromatherapy
-Sports Massage
-Remedial Massage
-Holistic Massage
-Pilates
-Yoga
-Meditation

The list goes on...

After spending thousands of pounds on things which often supported me, increased my knowledge and gave me temporary relief from pain, but didn't heal me, I was still searching for something that would take away my pain for good.  I found it.

I am not discounting any of these methods of treatment, but none of them fixed me, or gave me the tools to manage my own pain.  They gave me quick fixes, but none of them gave me a long term answer.  I do believe the journey that they took me on and  the knowledge I gathered on this journey are the only reason I reached the end of my healing quest and I still use reiki, aromatherapy, acupuncture, yoga and pilates as part of my health regime, so I am certainly not discounting them.  But, they didn't give me the key I needed to unlock my body.

Then, as I searched one day on the Internet at work (yes, instead of working) for treatment for upper back pain I chanced upon Steve Lockhart's website.  Suddenly someone seemed to make sense.  I bought his program which at this point was a massive commitment (when you have tried everything then you get a little cynical/careful) I followed his program religiously and saw tremendous benefit, I then went to Thailand to be a 'pain sufferer' in his training programme and came home 60% better!

With the help of Megan Bennett (trained in his SLM technique) who lived two hours away from me in the South of England I started to reach 80% recovery!  She helped me emotionally and physically to overcome really deep seated imbalances in my body which were working against me.  She released my body from a point of pain in a dedicated and knowledgeable manner, she is a healer in the most practical sense. I now work full time, rock climb, move furniture (despite my boyfriend's pleas) and feel like a normal person again.  

They helped me heal my body using all the techniques they teach you when you contact them for treatment:

-Alkaline Diet
-Heat
-Massaging myself!
-Deep Tissue targeted Whole body massages
-SLM yoga (all done on your back so even serious pain sufferers can do this)

I cannot recommend these people more highly.  They gave me my life back and most importantly they gave me the tools to manage my own pain rather than telling me to keep coming back.  Their motto is 'If you have to keep going back to your therapist, then they are not doing their job, they are not fixing you!'.  This is not a faceless program, you get constant email support, DVDs and ongoing advice as well as meeting other back pain sufferers in the forum.  

All I want to do here is share my appreciation for something which made me feel like a human again.  I am deeply grateful to these people every day.

Contact them if you connect to my story and are looking for your own way out of pain.  I know they will help you too!  Feel free to contact me regarding pain management and more information on their programs.

Good Luck!

Steve Lockhart: www.backpain.com.au


Megan Bennett: toptotoze@sky.com

                          01747 855339 & 07977 050 878


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