Question
I'm 24 years old, and fell victim to a pretty gnarly herniated disc when I was 19 or 20 (with back, buttock and leg pain), and had a discectomy.

I was told that I would have problems with my back, on and off -- and I have, here and there, but normally I'm all is well.

Recently, I had a sneezing fit, which violently threw my back out, and brought back the monstrous leg and back nerve pain.

I visited my chiropractor, and he told me that the disc on top of the disc that was previously herniated, was, like, swollen.  After a few visits, I'm almost 100%.

In retrospect, two or three days after I threw my back out of wack, I started having kidney pain -- but assumed it was a pinched nerve.  (This was a couple of weeks ago.)

It got really bad, a few days ago, and I got scared and went to the doctor.  The doctor's diagnosis was that it was my bowels pushing on my kidney, because I was constipated.  ... and that makes sense, because I don't remember poopin' - at all - during the whole ordeal.  And all of this didn't come to me until after I left the doctor's office, and I'm still constipated!

(I've gone a few times, very minimally... and the pain isn't so bad, but I am most definitely constipated!)

I also noticed that my prostate is out of wack, and the doctor credited that to my bowels pushing on my prostate.

Strangely, he didn't give me any prescriptions for anything, and like I said: I unfortunately didn't put all the pieces together until I left!

What's going on!?

P.S.

The way my back was out, I was kinked to one side, with my torso / abdomen folded on the right side -- which is where I had the abdominal pain.

Sorry if this is long-winded, but I wanted to be thorough this time!

Thanks!

Answer
Hi, Josh,

To the point, it sounds like your psoas muscles are very contracted.  They attach behind the diaphragm, near the kidneys, and would produce the kind of postural distortions you have described (along with other muscles in contraction that cause you to feel like your back is out of whack and that cause disc herniation).

The nerve plexus that controls intestinal function is embedded in or lies upon the psoas muscles; when those muscles are contracted, they change the chemistry in the neighboring area; the nerve plexus and intestinal function become sluggish.

Medication won't help that kind of situation.

I have had constipated clients experience immediate and lasting improvement once they gained control of the movements the psoas muscles cause.

You may read my article, "Free Your Psoas," listed at somatics.com/page4b.htm.

with regard,
Lawrence Gold