Monday, February 2, 2009

What is Your Body Telling You?

When watching the pre-game for the Super Bowl yesterday, I was struck by something Bruce Springsteen said in an interview when asked why he got into music so many years ago.

Not being a Bruce Springsteen fan, and not knowing him well, I would have guessed he would have said what any rock and roller might say - women, money, etc.

But his response was very atypical – and it really resonated with me. His reply was that he got into music in order to open up a conversation.

To open up a conversation.  Beautiful!

That simple statement made me think about why it is that I do what I do.

I want to have a conversation, too.

In fact, I think all of us want to be heard.

Some for reasons associated with vanity.

Some just like to hear themselves talk.

And some feel that they have something to offer their fellow human being.

I feel like I’ve got something to offer.

Here’s My Story:

About 11 years ago, after experiencing SIGNIFICANT back pain for about 5 years, I finally broke down and made an appointment to see a doctor about it.

After a battery of tests (X-Ray’s, MRI’s, etc.), a back specialist at St. Louis University informed me that I had the spine of a 65 year-old man.

A… sixty… five… year… old… man.   Needless to say, I was shocked!

I was ‘officially’ diagnosed with a bi-lateral herniation of the disc between L5-S1, and also with degenerative disc disease in the 3 discs that sat right above the herniation (My vertebra in that area are pretty much on top of one another with very little cushioning (disc material) left in between.

I was speechless.

As I sat there in a daze, he wrote me a very large prescription for Vicodan (I could have taken a 6 month vacation had I sold them for their street value!), and informed me that I would need a spinal fusion of 3-4 of my vertebra in about 10 years.

“Just deal with the pain as best you can”, he said, “and know that your athletic days are over.”

Over?!? I was four years out of college, and was hoping that my better days were still in front of me.


For a while, Vicodan was my friend. But don’t get me wrong, there were still days in which I could barely move or breathe it hurt so badly.

It became apparent that this was not a way in which I wanted to live my life.

I began researching everything that I could about back pain and the various treatment options that went along with my particular diagnosis.

Needless to say, it wasn’t very encouraging at all.

So, in order to make my looooong story short, I want to let you know that I’ve figured it out.

I’ve figured out how not to have pain.

And not only do I not have pain, but I live my life like a kid again.

Jumping and playing and rolling around on the ground with my dogs – just like a kid!

I’ve met others who have figured it out, too.

And it’s not about pain pills, or any fancy-schmancy gizmos.

It’s about having a conversation.  A conversation with yourself. 

A movement based conversation.

Learn to listen to what your body is saying. If you slow down and really listen, your body will tell you what it needs. And you’ll be amazed how quickly it responds.

But you need someone to guide you so that you can learn how to listen.

And that’s what I do.

I help those folks that need to learn how to listen to their bodies again, listen.

And those that learn how to listen, well, their Glory Days are in front of them, not in the past.


LET ME ASK YOU SOMETHING…
What do you do that helps you listen to your body?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
For more information on what “learning how to listen” actually means and how you can implement it in your life, send us an email and we’ll send it to you for free!

*****

Chad Estes
Movement Specialist
cestes@etmconsultants.com

1 comment:

  1. Chad - what a powerful story! So many ailments aren't deadly but the pain kills your life. It is hard to have a movement-based conversation when it hurts like seven kinds of H**L to move. Thank you for helping me start having that conversation with myself. It has allowed me to take back my life and make it even more powerful. No matter what glory days are behind us we can always choose to create more glory days in our future and in our NOW!

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