How I Ended Decades of Chronic Pain
Without meds, my back and hip are, to my surprise and delight, nearly pain-free
Low back pain has dogged me since my mid-20s, moderate and annoying most days with the occasional must-lie-down-now episode that made me grumpy and ornery but got me out of yard work for a few days.
In my late 40s, a dull ache emerged in my right hip, gradually growing worse and sharper, until it became impossible to sleep on my right side, which made snuggling with my wife problematic (our sides of the bed were long ago set in stone, and I’m indisputably on the left).
I got used to starting each day stiff and sore, accustomed to carrying a certain level of background misery around most of the day. No amount of pillows made the couch comfortable. A long car trip required hourly stops to stretch and shake out the hurt.
But in the last few months, everything has changed.
Both sources of pain have shrunk to the point that on most days I barely notice them, and on a “bad” day they generate a little discomfort that reminds me to deploy my new secret weapon against chronic pain (I’ll reveal it below, but there’s a story to tell here!).
Here’s how great I feel: On my 60th birthday recently, I mountain biked 60 miles, my longest ride…
