CASE HISTORY 3
NAME: Brind
Date of Birth: 1947
SEX: Male
COMPLAINTS & DURATION
- Sinusitis
- Slip disc
PREVIOUS TREATMENT:
- Medical treatment for sinusitis.
- Physiotherapy
- Massage
PROGNOSIS:
Sinusitis – Poor prognosis because of duration.
Slip disc – Poor prognosis, because of it was refractory to any medical treatment or other procedure.
DISCUSSION
The salient features of this case are:
- Sinusitis
- Prolapsed intervertebral disc.
- Sinusitis
Sinusitis is an inflammation resulting from an infection of the sinuses, air-filled spaces behind the forehead, nasal bones, cheeks, and eyes. Acute sinusitis is usually caused by a bacterial infection in the sinuses resulting from an upper respiratory tract infection. Chronic sinusitis refers to long-term swelling and inflammation of the sinuses that may be caused by bacteria or a fungus.
Antibiotics are usually not needed for acute sinusitis. Most of these infections go away on their own. Even when antibiotics do help, they may only slightly reduce the time. Surgery to clean and drain the sinuses may also be necessary, especially in patients whose symptoms fail to go away after 3 months, despite medical treatment
Prognosis
Sinus infections are usually curable with self-care measures and medical treatment. In case of recurrent attacks, a check for underlying causes such as nasal polyps or other problems, such as allergies should be performed.
- Prolapsed Intervertebral Disc (Slipped Disc)
A prolapsed disc usually causes severe lower back pain. The disc often presses on a nerve root which causes pain and other symptoms in a leg. In most cases, the symptoms ease off gradually over several weeks. The usual advice is to do normal activities as much as possible. Painkillers may help. Physical treatments such as spinal manipulation may also help. Surgery may be an option if the symptoms persist.
Any disc in the spine can prolapse. However, most prolapsed discs occur in the lower back. The size of the prolapse can vary; the larger the prolapse, the more severe the symptoms.
Symptoms of a prolapsed disc.
Back pain. The pain is often severe, and usually comes on suddenly. The pain is usually eased by lying down flat, and is often made worse on moving the back, coughing or sneezing.
Nerve root pain. Nerve root pain is pain that occurs because a nerve coming from the spinal cord is pressed by a prolapsed disc, or is irritated by the inflammation caused by the prolapsed disc.
In most cases, the symptoms tend to improve over a few weeks. Research studies of repeated MRI scans have shown that the bulging prolapsed portion of the disc tends to regress over time in most cases. The symptoms then tend to ease, and go in many cases. Only in about 1 in 10 cases is the pain serious. After six weeks surgery has to be considered.
Treatments
Exercise. One is advised to continue with normal activities as far as possible. This may not be possible at first if the pain is very bad. As a rule, one should not do anything that causes a lot of pain. However, one has to accept some discomfort when trying to keep active.
Medication. Painkillers to be taken regularly. The pain is more likely to be eased for much of the time and enable one to exercise and keep active.
Physical treatments
Physical therapy by physiotherapist, chiropractor, or osteopath may help by providing some short-term comfort and hasten recovery in some cases.
Surgery
Surgery may be an option in some cases. As a rule, surgery may be considered if the symptoms have not settled after about six weeks or so.
Effects of Yoga and Meditation
Brind was a meteorological officer. He had to work in extreme conditions.
“I was meteorologist working at the Meteorology Transmitting Station at Bigara, the highest spot of Mauritius and one of the coldest. There were many highly sensitive appliances which required heavy air conditioning. It was colder still. In winter the temperature would fall off dramatically, sometimes as low as 12°C or even lower!”*
Already, by nature he had been sensitive to cold. His job conditions worsened his problem. No medical treatment seemed to help him alleviate his distress. He had resigned himself to his fate.
“I had always been very sensitive to cold, often having a running nose and headache since 1976. It started becoming more serious when I joined work there. An ENT doctor told me it is a sure sign of sinus problem. Whenever I had to stay for night duty the pain and discomfort I had to endure was tenfold. My suffering worsened. I used to have body aches and pains and sometimes high temperature. …I was following treatment but nothing worked. This lasted for several years.”*
His misery would be compounded in 1978 when he accidentally got a slip disc.
“In 1978, one day during an exercise session, while performing a squat with some heavy weights, disaster struck! I slipped and lost my balance. To avoid a fall, I had to put in extra effort to control the heavy barbell and bring it safely to the floor. I managed to do so but all the weight and my body jerked to the left. Immediately I felt a severe pain on both sides of my lower back. Unfortunately, I had badly strained my back.”*
“Doctors advised complete rest, to avoid lifting heavy objects, and above all to stop weight lifting completely. Worse, I was told to sleep on a hard surface. I was already having a winter ordeal with my sinus problem, now this new ordeal! I also had problem even in walking. I had to lean on one side. During winter the pain became even worse. Life became a real torture not only for me but also everybody at home. Sitting or lying and getting up afterwards were a real problem. Sometime I had to be helped. Even then it took several minutes before I could be comfortably on my legs.”*
Nevertheless he took courage and continued his work. Sometimes he would forget his problem. Then things would become worse.
“Very often, oblivious of the precautions advised, I would handle some weight with my normal reflex, with dire consequences. I would get acute pain. I would walk lopsided, or with bent back. It would take days for me to become a bit normal. Travelling was another ordeal, whether by bus or riding a bicycle. Any shock would give me discomfort. Even standing for long periods whether at bus stop or elsewhere, would increase the back pain.”*
He tried different types of treatment, massage, physiotherapy, to no avail.
“I had recourse to rubbing balms. Deep Heat spray or bandaging would bring temporary relief. The next morning, again all my torture would restart. I went for physiotherapy. I would feel instant relief but the next morning all my problems would be back. I even went for massage sessions but instead of decreasing, the pain was increasing. I went for a ‘spot massage’ session. The masseur, a european lady walked on my whole back. Although it apparently gave me instant relief as if by magic, the next morning when I went woke up the pain was back with a revenge.”*
He lost hope of ever becoming a normal person again.
“I was at a loss. Doctors could not help. Nothing else was working. By then I was so disappointed I started having doubts that I will ever get well. I had resigned myself to live with the pain for the rest of my life…”*
Luckily he read about a yoga course. He decided to try this new therapy.
“One morning in early 1979 I read an advertisement…. about some yoga course being run by Yoginiji. I had no idea what yoga meant although my father used to speak about various yoga postures and their health benefits. I took no time in going to meet Yoginiji. I explained my problems, their duration and the suffering I was going through. Yoginiji explained that the course was a six months weekly course. Hopefully, I could expect results within one or two weeks of practice.”*
“I was taught a series of postures, yogic breathing and mantra repetition. I had to practice the series for the whole week. At the next session there was revision to see whether I had been doing the postures properly or they had to be repeated. A new series of postures was taught every week. Each session was of about one hour duration.”*
Not realizing the gravity of his problem, he had high expectations that yoga would work some instant miracle. When nothing much happened in two weeks he was getting discouraged.
“After two weeks I started getting uneasy and somewhat discouraged. I felt there was no change. Yoginiji reassured me to have patience. My case was already quite complicated and I had to be patient for one or two weeks more. The third week nothing happened.”*
Nevertheless he persevered and he was rewarded for his patience. Not only his back would be cured. His sinusitis would also disappear for ever!
“During the fourth week without realizing, one day I woke up and just got up by myself. I did not need to call anyone to help me up. I was on my feet, feeling fit and hearty! How and when it happened, I still do not know. Unknown to me the back pain was gone. Amazingly the nose running had stopped, the pain in my forehead, much to my surprise had vanished. That was the last day of my suffering. Since, I never had the least headache.”*
He completed the 6 month yoga course. Since, he has continued religiously with his yoga practice.
“I carried on with the yoga course because one has to complete the series of postures for the whole body to prevent further attacks and any relapse. …I have carried on with the yoga postures which were meant for a lifetime. Since, I never had any health problems.”*
He is extremely satisfied with the outcome. For him, it was nothing short of a miracle.
“Today I am over 60 yrs. I carry on doing yoga within limits of the possible. Even today I am in very good health. I go 3-5 times weekly to gymkhana for a morning walk, followed by some yoga postures, each time performing different sets of postures… to keep the whole body fit and to be stress and tension free. I am very satisfied and happy that I learnt yoga at that time. Instead of pain remaining my life time company, yoga has become my life time companion.”*
(*Excerpts from article, Brind Magazine 4, 2011 P 69-70)
Conclusion
Brind had been suffering from chronic sinusitis. His new job as meteorological officer exacerbated this condition. His reserve was already being seriously depleted. Thinking it would help, he would then undertake hard physical exercise which would further drain his resistance.
Unfortunately he did some difficult movement and suffered a slip disc. He no longer had much energy left to fight back and his condition worsened. Different treatments did not work as his body could not maintain the precarious improvement temporarily given to him by the procedure, be it massage or physiotherapy. He was advised surgery which he was reluctant to undergo.
He was always on the lookout for some remedy. This would be provided by yoga which included breathing and mantra repetition. Now he could tap into a new source of prana. His condition was so advanced that it took some time for him to be cured, much more than is usually the case. Still, after some 3-4 weeks the inflow of prana could finally overcome his pathology.
Suddenly, out of the blue he found that not only had his back problem disappeared but his long standing sinusitis was also gone, never to come back again. This was helped by his continuous practice of hatha yoga. This has been instrumental in keeping him healthy all along. He retired at 60 and is still keeping excellent health.