Several months ago, I mentioned how this year has been about rebuilding and bolstering myself. Part of that involved becoming more physically fit. Since March, I've been able to head to the gym twice a week. I've also made changes to my diet to include less processed sugar.
In June, however, I hit a road bump when I noticed discomfort in my back. There's an old injury that flares up every couple of years. Previous visits to physical therapists never noticed anything abnormal in my scans. One of my colleagues suggested that I should see a chiropractor. I decided to give it a go.
The chiropractor took an x-ray and went over it with me. Yes, I have had mild scoliosis since my teens. That wasn't the news. The chiropractor proceeded to tell me that she noted something peculiar: I have a sixth lumbar vertebra. Of course, that didn't mean the extra bone was the problem. It did bother me that my previous x-rays never revealed this feature. Funnily enough, when I told my uncle about it, he told me that it runs in the family. Well, what do you know?
Digging around the internet, I found some information about this phenomenon.
It's more common than I initially thought. I guess I'm one of the rare cases where it could have been an issue.
I have stepped up in my core exercises and stretches since then. The discomfort in my lower back is similar to that of sciatica. After personal efforts and weekly adjustments for the past several months, I am now better than ever!
Fortunately, my insurance covers the chiropractor I'm seeing. I use my HSA on whatever costs are not absorbed by the insurance. Through this journey, I realized my back and neck have not felt this good in years.
So far, my thirties have been an interesting adventure of rebuilding myself physically since I started working full-time after college.