My Story

How It All Began

My back first ‘went’ in 2013. I was on holiday, mountain biking and fell running the Yorkshire 'Inn Way'. It was the penultimate day, and as I stood up from the bed to head down to breakfast, a pain shot through me like nothing I’d ever experienced. A few hours later in A&E, I was diagnosed with a disc prolapse—a slipped disc. At the time, life was full-on. I had two young children in primary school, a husband in the military who was only home on weekends, and I was running postnatal bootcamps, Insanity sessions, and working as a personal trainer.

I tried to keep going through the pain and sciatica, but my businesses suffered. I couldn’t deliver sessions, and I began to question myself as a coach. How could I help others when I was falling apart? Six months later, I opted for a discectomy. It made logical sense—cut out the bit pressing on my sciatic nerve. I didn’t rest properly afterwards though. Life was just too busy. What followed was years of rollercoaster recovery. We moved house three times in four years. Like most mums, I always put myself last. The pain never fully left. Some days were tolerable, others agonising. I lost faith in myself and stopped seeing joy in the things I loved. I even tried returning to running, but ended up with partial achilles ruptures—one each year. Looking back, my altered movement from the back injury was the likely cause.

Over time, I became more interested in back pain recovery. I found two incredible doctors who specialise in spinal health and realised that maybe surgery hadn’t been the right choice. I also came to understand that strength matters more than stretch, and that stability, not mobility, was what I needed most. But life kept getting in the way. Family challenges, building an online business, and COVID derailed my attempts at a consistent training plan. I stayed active where I could—walking, swimming, biking, and delivering online coaching. But I never followed a true rehab programme.

Eventually, I bought one online. I didn’t have time to write my own, and honestly, I felt like an imposter. It helped, even though some of the moves went against what I knew instinctively. But that "no pain, no gain" mindset was hard to unlearn. Then, after a period of stress, lifting, and long hours behind the wheel, my back went again. Sciatica burned down my leg, and I was wrecked physically and mentally. A&E again at 3am. Ten weeks of barely being able to sit. Painkillers that didn’t work.

This time, the disc below the previous rupture had gone – L5/S1. It was worse. I paid for my own MRI and got a private diagnosis. The spinal block injection that followed was a game changer. I could sit again. Over the next year, I had two more injections, spaced out, each giving me back a little more of my life. Now, two years on, I’m still not pain-free. That’s still my goal. But the journey I’m on now is mindful, more holistic, and far more sustainable.