Bad news 😢 disk herniation diagnose an need a bit motivation

PoleAdventures started this discussion · 11/5/2016

2 weeks ago I had some pain in my neck and thought it were some stiff muscles. Doctor also believe in this but pain get worse and I also lost a lot of my strenght in my left arm. So I have to do a MRI and now I have a disk hernation between c5 and c6 😢 So pain and inflammation is better after some drugs 😄 But pole dance is not possible this year. Doc said I can do some yoga and things like stretching or training for my legs. I'm very frustrated and sad I ever give attention and never rushed into a move and now my (still young) body is broken 😢 So I'm sorry for whining (I know some people have bigger problems) but I need a bit of your motivation :) Pole dance was my new love and to stop immediately is very difficult for me and make me so sad. Anyone with the same diagnosis and problem? Share your experiences with me, I like to hear some stories or anything else why you had to stop pole (hopefully only for a while)? And when you know some cool yoga things and maybe a site like this for yoga, tell me. I would like to focus on my splits stretch now and try out yoga instead of pole. In love, Pole Adventures aka Anita 😄

20 replies

LatinPoler · 11/5/2016
Hi Anita, I'm so sorry for you! I feel your pain. When I started poling, I injured myself twice - which made me stay away from pole for a while. I had also been careful, warmed up well, etc. But I guess I was not engaging my upper body correctly and maybe overtraining. I felt really frustrated. But I was patient, heeled, and here I am again. I know it is difficult, but take your time, it will improve, and once it does, start slowly. It is better to wait until it is fully recovered than restarting too soon and risking to a new injury. Veena has a fantastic video about injuries and recovery. Cannot you do any pole at all? I mean, maybe you cannot invert, but what about climbs and sits and grounded flow, and floorwork? I love yoga. I used to get massages to relax my muscles and now I do yoga instead. There are many types of yoga, heated power yoga can be extrenous but at the same time kind on your body. Yin yoga is relaxing. It will help your flexibility, core strenght, wrist strength and body awareness and all those skills can be transfered to pole once you heel. Also, it can help calm your frustration. If your doctor agrees, maybe you can take dance classes too. Or even theater. Or chair dance, or burlesque. This can help you with pole too. Good luck and get well soon! Warm hugs.
Krabbette · 11/5/2016
Hi PoleAdventures! I'm so sorry to hear what you're going through. I had a herniated disk a year ago and I couldn't exercise for almost four months. No exercise at all, no yoga, no stretching, no riding a bike... even going shopping for food was difficult because I couldn't carry anything. No typing on a computer, no writing by hand.. my body felt useless. The first few weeks were really bad, I felt like crap, was in a bad mood all the time and started fighting with people I loved... but once I started to accept the fact that my body was trying to tell me something it got better. It was a hard time, that's for sure, but looking back I am grateful for the experience because I learned a lot about myself. I learned that my body is smarter than me and that I should listen to it. I learned that I can be good to other people although I'm in pain all the time, and I learned that there are good things to worship even when you feel everything is falling apart. I missed pole a lot, and also exercising in general, I had thought before that I would go insane without it, but I didn't. And when I could pole again I was surprised at how fast my strength came back. It is hard, facing your own barriers, but in the end you don't lose. You win because your experience makes you grow if you let it and don't fight with it. Be patient, be humble. Call people you haven't spoken to in a long time. Read books. Make yourself a cup of tea an listen to music. Go for a walk and observe how the trees change during autumn. Grab your chance. You don't need your body to dance. Dance with your heart. I wish you the best of luck, Krabbette
Phoenix Hunter · 11/5/2016
I had herniated disc in my cervical spine. This happened before I was doing pole. Honestly, my situation was severe and I have permanent damage to my spinal cord and numbness in several places on my body. My story is long but I was very disabled for almost 2 years . I didn't start pole till about 1 1/2 years after my surgery. Everyone is different but surgery was my only choice and chance of ever having functioning hands again. I started pole because I wanted to see if I could rebuild grip strength. Obviously, I did. I'm doing things now that I never even thought possible before my injury. My advice to you is to stay active any way you can. Yes, maybe take dance lessons like contemporary dance or ballet. Keep moving anyway you can without causing more pain. Herniated disc will somewhat resolve themselves in a six month period or people may need surgery. Either way, your current situation is not permanent and you will eventually get back to pole. What people don't understand is that cervical disc herniation affects you arms/ hands strength. I get it that light poling may not be an option if you are doing bad. Your grip becomes unreliable and doing a simple climb can be dangerous if your hands just suddenly open without warning. That was one of my symptoms. My hands would drop whatever I was holding. It was hard to even hold a cup or hold my tooth brush. Work like hell with your physical therapist. Keep dancing or moving in other ways if possible. This crappiness will not last forever but you need to be diligent right now . I'm so sorry you are going through this. Be open minded about your healing. Try everything but be patient
Phoenix Hunter · 11/5/2016
And yes, now might be a good time to focus on splits! :)
PoleAdventures · 11/5/2016
Thank you very much for your words LatinPoler, Krabbette and Phoenix! 💜💜💜 Yes, the greatest deal I have is with my brain and my soul. I feel like I'm totally broken even if I have friends, my boyfriend, my studies, my other leisure activities but it all feels so useless and unnecessary at the moment. The doctor said yoga and leg things is the only I'm allowed to do right now. Not climbing and nothing what need a lot of movement for the upper body. Now I take medications for about 2 weeks then we will see if the inflammation of the disk is better. And as phoenix said my arm is too very strenghtless, I can hold a cup but it feels like I'm doing hard strenght training *faceroll* And as long as this I should not use my arms, shoulders and upper body to do anything like climbing or strenght training. So thank you all for your words! It seems that I can go back to pole sometime when I read your experiences. I hope I can adapt my situation to regain my happy mood. As Krabbette write, I also fighted with friends and my boyfriend already....for no reason. I was totally in pain, body and soul and had no control over my mood :( I will try to control that and accept the situation. So again...thank you very much! You are the best girls! 💜💜💜
Phoenix Hunter · 11/5/2016
theres a lot of other forms of dance you can do to challenge and strengthen you will your neck heals. You will have to modify some things because of you arms being weak right now. I really recommend ballet if you think you might like it. You can really work on your lower body, core, and balance. It is challenging enough to keep you busy . You will need to modify your arms. If you can find a good beginner ballet class for adults you may want to try. Just tell your teacher your situation with your hands and arms. That's just a suggestion, but I'm sure you will find something that is suited for you that grabs your interest. And developing those splits will definitely keep you busy. Also, you may need to experiment with different pillows . Seriously. The right pillow can make or break you. Different pillows work for different people. Try some specialty pillows. Sleeping on the wrong pillow can really inflame that disc right now. You're going to be ok. This is a hard thing to get through and it can make your days feel really dark. Much love to you! I hope your pain goes away . Like I said, try everything. Don't give up ever.
Phoenix Hunter · 11/5/2016
Also, if you have a chance. Read my bio. It explains my journey with pole and my injury. I'm here if you ever need someone to talk to
emmasculator · 11/5/2016
NOOOOOO that is just the worst possible news! I am so very sorry to hear that Anita :((( Definitely see if you can do some yoga or like Phoenix said work on your splits in the meanwhile. I hope your recovery is a speedy one!
LatinPoler · 11/6/2016
Also, you may want to have a look at the change cycle: http://changingminds.org/disciplines/change_management/kubler_ross/kubler_ross.htm You are probably in the early stages since this is new. You'll move forward and heal for sure. Besides dancing, aerobic activities with focus in lower body like running or cycling can be an option if allowed.
changingminds.orgThe Kubler-Ross Grief CycleElizabeth Kubler-Ross identified a grief cycle that occurs when people realize they have a terminal illness. It also happens when they face change..
Claire Moon · 11/6/2016
I would like to echo what everyone's said. Take this time to cross train. Do yoga, flexibility, performing arts, anything to keepnyounoccupied. I'm actually trying to heal from some overtraining muscle strains. Ive been doing burlesque and yoga and it's barely keeping me sane but I'm moving forward! We're all so young. I know time off pole seems like forever but we've got so much time in life for it:)
PoleAdventures · 11/16/2016
Hi Girls! It's been a while since I text here. So the disk herniation isn't much better but I think I have to be patient. I had some electric stimulation pain therapie :) The pain is no longer in the whole arm, so this is a beginning :)
Phoenix Hunter · 11/17/2016
Yes, this will take some time for sure. It will feel like forever but it won't be
PoleAdventures · 11/17/2016
Thank you all for your words! You are such a great community. I'm very happy and proud to be here and I'm looking forward to start again with pole. 💜💜💜 @Phoenix Thanks again! And your bio is impressive. You made such a great way and I'm very impressed where you now are with your pole journey. How long do you pole dance?
bigkitty1 · 11/17/2016
What a special gem you are !! Hoping you heal fast💗💗💗
PoleAdventures · 11/30/2016
Hello guys I didn't write about my injury abiut few weeks. Happily I can say: It IS better. Still not comletely healed, but in a way ok so I can do my studies, some gentle training. So I'm back on pole!! 💖💖💖 I had a very hard time to accept my weakness, my pain and my very very bad mood about all this. I see that I can start again and I'm very motivated, every little step back on the pole is a gift for my soul- Hah....how pole dance can change your life 😳 So I would to THANK YOU ALL 👄👄👄 For all your tips, your motivation, your kind words, your hugs, your thoughts, your empathy, your love, your reactions, your answers, your likes....FOR ALL!! Great hugs to all to you, you are the best pole family and community ever! 💖💖💖 Thank you very very much Studio Veena!
PoleAdventures · 11/30/2016
Oh what I forgot :) I bought myself some Aura Heels 💖 To stay motivated in this time I start again 😍😍 I will upload a video tomorrow. They are so beautiful 😊
Phoenix Hunter · 12/3/2016
I'm glad to hear you are doing a little bit better! :)
emmasculator · 12/3/2016
YESS!! Shoes make everything better! When I bought my pair of AuraHeels, I had just moved and felt super isolated. Then I bought dem glowly delights and remembered that I was a bad ass bitch...and then life didn't seem so bad! Wishing you a speedy speedy recovery!! Very happy to hear that you are making progress.
TaraLee · 12/4/2016
I hope things are starting to feel better! Healing vibes!!
luuy1219 · 6/8/2021
Hello, I'm not sure if ajudo-me will reply me now but I'm currently having some neck problems, I've been going to the chiropractor and he says it's because one side of my back is stronger than the other due to not training on both sides and sue to the situation now I'm only able to do an MRI in a few weeks but I'm just wondering what exactly was the herniated disc symptoms you had? I feel very tight neck and soreness and some muscle spams that goes down my shoulder and biceps. I don't feel week it's more of a not being able to move because it's really sore. If anyone can let me know, I've been so anxious lately 😖