07/09/2026
A back flare can feel like it’s taking you straight back to where you started.
For me, it briefly did, and that was a scary picture.
I had a disc injury in 2017 with significant neurological symptoms, so when my back flared again recently, I noticed everything.
Shin irritation. A numb toe. Morning stiffness. Movement that suddenly felt really ‘iffy’.
And I had a choice in that moment:
spiral into old fear…
or interpret it through what I now understand about pain, load, and the nervous system.
What surprised me most this time wasn’t just what helped; but how many systems were involved.
Manual therapy played an important early role for me. Not as a “fix”, but as neuromodulation; helping my nervous system down-regulate enough that movement didn’t feel as threatening.
That window mattered.
Because once threat reduced, I could actually do the things that change outcomes long-term:
movement, graded load, sleep, nervous system regulation and consistency.
This experience reinforced something I see every day clinically:
Pain is not always a measure of damage.
It’s often a reflection of capacity (usually lack there of)
And load is load; physical, emotional, mental, life. The goal isn’t to eliminate all load, it’s to build enough capacity to meet it.
I’m still rebuilding, still progressing, still placing one foot in front of the other. But this time, I’m not starting with the fear of the unknown.
I’m starting with understanding 🫶🏻. With training and resilience in this experience, I have been here before so I already know I can conquer this.
If you’ve ever had a flare that made you worry you were “back at square one”, this is your reminder that flares can be information, not catastrophe.
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