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A builder who has got his life back from back pain is encouraging others in his position to try exercise before considering risky surgery.
Beau Andrews, of Warkworth, has lived with chronic pain for 14 years since he injured his spine loading plywood onto a roof.
He has two herniated discs, commonly known as slipped discs.
The spine contains discs with a gel-like centre. When the disc tears due to injury, the contents are pushed out and the bulging disc presses on nerves, causing pain.
In 2015, the National Health Committee (NHC), an independent statutory body, estimated that roughly 10 per cent of the population experience lower back pain.
The most common age to develop a herniated disc is between 30 and 50. Men are affected nearly twice as often as women.
“It’s a constant ache, and when it flares up it’s like having a knife in the back,” Beau says.
This year, Beau began training with personal trainer Addy Garland-Olla at the Warkworth Fit Factory gym.
His programme began with stretching, light weights, and an emphasis on working out the abdominal core.
“At first, I thought it was too light and wouldn’t do anything, but within a couple of months I was lifting weights I never expected to be able to,” Beau says.
A strengthened abdominal core supports the spine by providing increased stability.
He also avoids alcohol and junk food, which could contribute towards inflammation.
Beau says he’s performing better on the job and is able to go for a surf from time to time.
When the injury first happened, Beau was told by doctors he could have surgery to “shave away” the bulging contents of the disc.
He was told it would only alleviate some of the pain, and would not actually fix the problem.
Beau was also cautioned by a friend who had the surgery. In her experience, it had made no difference.
The medical name for the surgery is a laminectomy, and the 2015 NHC report says that it has only a 70 per cent success rate.
Since learning about laminectomy, Beau’s spine injury has progressed. He has now been advised that his only option is a spinal fusion.
Spinal fusion joins two or more vertebrae to reduce movement in the spine.
But the NHC report says that spinal fusion is riskier than laminectomy, and its increased use in New Zealand is concerning.
“Spinal fusion can be associated with surgical complications and can cause increased stress on adjacent vertebral segments, leading to new sources of instability, degeneration and pain,” the report says.
Beau has placed his hope in emerging technologies of disc replacement, which he thinks might be only five years away.
Meanwhile, exercise has brought a host of benefits.
“It minimises the everyday aching. It’s the first time I’ve really tried to stay healthy with diet and exercise, and the results from that are positive either way.”
