I am 21 years old. I am running with a friend in a forest. The temperature is cool. The sun playing in the trees. The path is full of sand. There are some obstacles for training. Jumping over benches, well easy! CRACK. My foot “falls” in a hidden hole. I feel my pelvis dropping on the left. The pain is taking my breath away. I freeze. I just wait for the pain to go… then I keep going, aggravating the impact on my hips. The most stupide and still life changing mistake I have ever made.

A week after the incident, I start my 2nd year of fitness qualification. The pain is still there making just walking and sitting like hell. I decide (at last!) to check with my GP if there is any damage. Well a scan and MRI later, it turns out I have a slipped disc between L4 and L5 (in the lower back). It can stop here but the pressure on the disc irritates the sciatica nerve. I feel a fire shooting up and down in each leg. I have never had so much pain.

Sitting is uncomfortable. Standing is uncomfortable. Lying in the bed the same. Moving the same. I am sure you could imagine how stressful it can be when you should practice for your exams or studying.

My only focus at that time is how can I pass my exam in these conditions? And this is why this incident was life changing for me.

From this point, I studied with more focus on how the body works, how I could get rid of this pain. I was lucky to meet a really good physiotherapist who helped me with Pilates-style exercises. He brought me back to basics!
Because my superficial muscles were strong but not the deepest ones, the ones which support the back the body’s posture. I was not aware enough of them. The Pilates method gave me that: Deep Strength and Awareness.

Vanessa DURAND

I help people to discover and to develop their own superpowers through exercise. Find out yours contact me vanessfitness82@gmail.com