I have two sisters and a brother. They all suffer from various back ailments and when they hurt, I help.

My oldest sister has chronic sciatica and some bad discs in her lower back. She sometimes has so much pain and stiffness that she can only walk a few feet at a time. Because she likes to be active, this has turned her life upside down.

Now, if you understand family dynamics, you know that sometimes siblings are reluctant to ask for help, and it’s no different in my family. One day I was at her home, and I watched her trying to get up from her chair, and it was clear she was in a great deal of pain. I said, that’s it, I am going to work on your lower back at leat once a week until you can walk again. And so that’s what I have been doing.

In her case, she has always been tight and her hips are our of alignment because she has scoliosis, I am very careful with her because of this package of problems she carries around in her body. In this instance,  I massage her and then I gently stretch her hips and legs. The first few sessions are a little painful, but each time I work on her it gets a little better. 

This past weekend we were attending a birthday party and the parking lot was quite a distance from the picnic area. Not only was he able to comfortably walk to the venue, she also carried two beach chairs, a cooler and the birthday present. She grinned with pride and thankfulness that I was able to get her walking again.

Valentina Boonstra