{"id":521,"date":"2026-08-02T17:20:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-02T17:20:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.flatfootjourney.com\/?p=521"},"modified":"2026-08-02T17:25:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-02T17:25:51","slug":"physiotherapy-journey-l5-s1-disc-protrusion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.flatfootjourney.com\/?p=521","title":{"rendered":"My Physiotherapy Journey (Part 1): When One Fall Changed Everything"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I created FlatFootJourney, I thought I\u2019d be writing mostly about congenital flat feet.<\/span><\/p>\n

I never imagined that my journey would eventually include bunions, degeneration in both menisci, an L5-S1 disc protrusion, and twenty physiotherapy sessions.<\/p>\n

Looking back, it almost feels as though each diagnosis prepared me for the next. At the time, though, it simply felt like my body kept presenting me with a new challenge just as I was learning to live with the last one.<\/p>\n

This is the story of how my physiotherapy journey began.<\/p>\n

My First Experience with Physiotherapy<\/h2>\n

Before my back problems, I had already been referred for physiotherapy because of degeneration in both of my menisci.<\/p>\n

Most of my sessions consisted of TENS therapy, infrared heat, and a handful of exercises.<\/p>\n

Whenever one of those exercises became painful, I remember the physiotherapist saying,<\/p>\n

\u201cPain is good.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll be honest\u2014that approach never sat well with me.<\/p>\n

When my sessions ended, I couldn\u2019t say I felt noticeably better. Instead, I walked away wondering if physiotherapy simply wasn\u2019t for me.<\/p>\n

At the time, I had no idea that this first experience would eventually become the standard I compared everything else against.<\/p>\n

A Trip That Was Supposed to Be Relaxing<\/h2>\n

Months later, my family planned a short two-day trip to my brother\u2019s house in Arta.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve ever lived in Djibouti, you\u2019ll understand why we were looking forward to it. Arta\u2019s cooler weather is always a welcome escape from the city\u2019s heat.<\/p>\n

\"Rocky<\/p>\n

Everything was going as planned\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2026until I slipped in the bathroom.<\/p>\n

The fall happened so suddenly that, for a split second, it honestly felt as though my heart had stopped.<\/p>\n

I stayed where I was for a moment before finishing getting dressed and walking back outside.<\/p>\n

The moment my family saw me, I could tell they knew something had happened. Their expressions immediately changed, and they asked if I was alright.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, as the minutes passed, the pain gradually eased.<\/p>\n

I convinced myself it had simply been a bad fall.<\/p>\n

I expected to be sore for a few days before returning to normal.<\/p>\n

I couldn\u2019t have been more wrong.<\/p>\n

When the Pain Started Coming Back<\/p>\n

Months passed before I noticed something strange.<\/p>\n

Without warning, a sharp pain would catch me in my lower back.<\/p>\n

Sometimes it happened while lifting my young nephew.<\/p>\n

Other times it happened when I bent over, stood up, or made what should have been an ordinary movement.<\/p>\n

Occasionally, there wasn\u2019t even an obvious reason.<\/p>\n

Each episode stopped me in my tracks.<\/p>\n

Then, just as suddenly as it appeared, the pain would ease again.<\/p>\n

Every time it settled down, I told myself it probably wasn\u2019t serious.<\/p>\n

Until it came back.<\/p>\n

Again.<\/p>\n

And again.<\/p>\n

Eventually, I stopped trying to explain it away.<\/p>\n

I needed answers.<\/p>\n

Looking for Those Answers<\/p>\n

I made an appointment with Dr. Ismael Hassan, an orthopedic specialist at Mutualis Centre M\u00e9dical in Djibouti.<\/p>\n

After listening carefully to my symptoms and examining me, he recommended additional imaging before making a diagnosis.<\/p>\n

He requested:<\/p>\n