View Full Version : Spinal cord injury from spine against hard chair?
I was hunched over on the subway today and my back at one point pressed into the hard seat and it felt like it bumped one of my vertebrae. I'm skinny so my spine sticks out but I'm wondering if there is a risk of paralysis or something from hitting a vertebrae? I'm freaking out
nomorepanic
03-09-17, 18:37
If there was you would be paralysed already.
You are fine - you can't do that much damage this way.
Have you had a look at the CBT4Panic workbooks yet?
Yes I have been been looking through them. This just feels like a real issue and I'm wondering if I should go to the ER. Could I get paralyzed?
Yes I have been been looking through them.
Looking and doing are two very different things. What is one of the exercises in the CBT workbooks that you would use to help you rationalize this very irrational fear?
Positive thoughts
ServerError
03-09-17, 20:13
Yes I have been been looking through them. This just feels like a real issue and I'm wondering if I should go to the ER. Could I get paralyzed?
Because you have health anxiety, things will feel like real issues even when they're not. I can assure you that there will be people reading this thread genuinely baffled as to how you can be worried about this. But that's because it's totally irrational rather than because they're being cruel.
The whole reason people suggest you get to work on some CBT exercises is so that you can start to challenge and eventually beat these feelings that an issue seems serious. To be blunt, if you go to the ER with this, you are wasting valuable resources.
Thanks I've calmed down a bit but just keep imagining terrible situations. It's just so weird it hurt my spine so much just sitting or knocking against a seat
thestruggle
03-09-17, 22:31
Your spine will feel sore after being pressed up against something hard :) I lost a lot of weight on my fitness journey and as a consequence my spine is now quite prominent.. if I sit on chairs with hard backs or lie on thin mats in classes at the gym I know about it afterwards! My spine in the middle actually feels bruised and sore.. perks of having sticky-outy bones unfortunately! I'm sure you are fine :) I've had quite noticeable pain for a couple of days afterwards!
@the struggle thank you for that insight. Perhaps Ive actually lost a few pounds from anxiety or whatever and will be extra careful. Ive also always had the same issue with gym mats. Hopefully I'm thinking it could just be the skin or bone that is bruised not the actual nerves
Yes I have been been looking through them.
FMP:Looking and doing are two very different things. What is one of the exercises in the CBT workbooks that you would use to help you rationalize this very irrational fear?
Positive thoughts
thestruggle
03-09-17, 23:02
If you were to press any bone against something hard for long enough it will start to hurt.. I don't think you've done anything to your nerves, it will probably be a mix of bone and the area of skin that felt the pressure of the seat.. :) Remember if you were sitting sort of hunched, your spine would have been rounded slightly and you'd have felt it more because of there being less cushioning.. I'm pretty sure you'll be alright, just maybe feel a bit tender for a couple of days!
Catherine S
03-09-17, 23:52
If that's all it took to damage a spine, alot of people would be paralysed out there. Nobody would be working in jobs were their backs were pressed against a hard surface, and very thin people wouldn't be able to sit on a bus or a train, or indeed against anything without having to carry a cushion around with them. And if my reply sounds irrational, it was meant to, so it would fit your fear.
Your spine can be bruised in that situation but not damaged.
I feel like my feet are slightly numb and I'm really worried this is the nerve damage from the injury. I'm not sure if I'm imagining it though
What "injury"? You don't injure your spine by leaning against a hard surface. Can you get sore? Sure, but not an "injury".
So tell us what exercise in the CBT workbook you're looking through would help you rationalize this.
Positive thoughts
MyNameIsTerry
04-09-17, 16:59
You've recently had a traumatic event in your life so anxiety spikes. It can take time to reduce these overall levels of anxiety but it would be wise to try to distract yourself, get exercise, get out & about, use relaxation techniques, etc to get your levels down a bit and this will be less intense for you.
My son was last week diagnosed with a cervical spine impairment which is significant. With all due respect you have no cause whatsoever to fear a spinal cord injury. It's just a minor inconvenience from being on the thin side with minimal padding-happens to me too.
THAnk you all for the replies. I'm still having a hard time with this but taking it one day at a time. It's upsetting how most people wouldn't even worry about this but it's so hard for me to think past it
ServerError
05-09-17, 16:22
Look, those people who wouldn't worry about it probably have their own crap going on that you wouldn't be affected by. We're all human, so don't let it upset you. Don't be beaten down by it. Just try to accept that this is your reality for the time being and that what you have - anxiety - is among the most common human ailments of all. Essentially, I'm saying give yourself a break.
I'm so dumb and my spine hit the chair today in class. I'm worried about this again and that I keep hitting my spine
I'm so dumb and my spine hit the chair today in class. I'm worried about this again and that I keep hitting my spine
What do you mean? It's normal to "hit" your spine against a chair when you lean back. Why would that cause damage? You're not made out of china. You must stop thinking your body is so fragile :shrug:
MyNameIsTerry
07-09-17, 02:22
My son was last week diagnosed with a cervical spine impairment which is significant. With all due respect you have no cause whatsoever to fear a spinal cord injury. It's just a minor inconvenience from being on the thin side with minimal padding-happens to me too.
Sorry to hear that, pulisa. :flowers: I hope they can help him with it and it doesn't impact on his life. I used to work with a guy with a twisted spine from birth and he could live a normal life (luckily) but occasionally he had flare ups where it locked and he would spend half the week lying on the kitchen floor. He said they offered surgery many years ago but he opted out due to the obvous risks of surgery in that area and he had managed to live quite normally.
OP - As everyone is saying, your body is built to take it and it's anxiety that is making you worry about every bump or bang. I used to get some of this myself in my GAD (still do in some cases), just not that it would be something bad, just that I would jump at aches & pains, low pain tolerance, inability to do things to tax my body.
Thank you Terry. He's going to be closely monitored by the Consultant neurosurgeon at a major London hospital and is on painkillers for the time being. It's another feature of the syndrome-Vacterl association-he was born with but has got worse due to the nature of his job.
I realise that the OP has no interest whatsoever in my son's condition. Her fears are real to her but are just a result of being more sensitive in that area due to lack of body fat.
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