10mm Disc Herniation, 0 Surgeries: Client and Coach on the Journey to Health
- swimmattsk
- Oct 27
- 18 min read
Intro
After 25 meters, he felt exhausted. His lower back hurt so much that he feared any further movement. Swimming, which doctors had recommended as treatment, had become more of a challenge than a joy for him.
Today, the same man easily swims a kilometer and his spine is substantially better. What happened between these two points? Two years of patient work and a completely different approach to rehabilitation than most people imagine.
The aquatic environment offers unique opportunities for people with spine problems.
In my practice, I had the opportunity to accompany this 33-year-old swimmer on his two-year journey to health. This story will show you what a real aquatic rehabilitation process looks like according to my methodology and what you can expect if you decide to use swimming for your health.
If you suffer from spine problems or are considering swimming as prevention, this post will help you create a realistic picture of what awaits you. Mental preparation and understanding reality is the first step to successful rehabilitation in the aquatic environment.
Client's Motivation - Why Swimming?
Interestingly, our swimmer didn't primarily choose swimming as a solution to his health problems. "I didn't primarily see swimming as a solution for my health, but as an activity I couldn't do and wanted to learn. Many times with family, friends, or colleagues when we were at the water, I could never properly enjoy it because of my fear of deep water," he explains his initial motivation.
Like many people of his generation, he learned the basics of swimming in childhood at public pools and school swimming lessons. Paradoxically, his rapid growth caused a problem - when he realized he could stand almost everywhere on the pool bottom, he gradually lost both the physical and psychological ability to go into deep water.
The turning point came after ending up in the emergency room with disc problems at age 30.
"After I ended up in the emergency room with disc problems at 30, I told myself I had to change my entire lifestyle. Sitting in the office, at home, while traveling - there was too much of it, I needed movement", he recalls his decision.
He started with physiotherapy, but admitted he didn't enjoy it. He was looking for an activity that would not only heal him but also be enjoyable. "Running was never for me, I never got a runner's high, plus it's not ideal for the back either. I remembered that as a child an orthopedist recommended swimming to me, and combined with the fact that it was a challenge for me and an opportunity to enjoy my free time more while improving my health, I decided to give it a try."
After his positive experience with a physiotherapist, he understood the value of professional guidance. That's why he decided to look for a swimming coach, and as he says himself: "I don't regret it, I probably would never have gotten where I am on my own, or it would have taken many times longer."
Why is Swimming So Exceptional for the Spine with Disc Herniation?
The use of the aquatic environment has long been considered a suitable complement to the rehabilitation process for people with spine problems. Recently, I've noticed this topic resonating more frequently, which confirms the rapid increase in musculoskeletal problems among the young population around 30.
Typical Recommendations vs. Reality
Clients come with various advice from doctors and rehabilitation specialists, but the most common recommendation is: "Master the backstroke or front crawl technique, but no breaststroke." In reality, the key is to identify which swimming technique is right for the specific health condition - and in many cases, it may actually be breaststroke. Success depends on understanding each person's individual needs, proper preparation, and gradual building of movement habits.
Two Types of Clients and Their Challenges
In my practice, I've identified two main types of clients, each with their own specifics:
First Group: Movement Beginners
Who belongs to this group:
People with limited sports experience from the past
Those who have problems with movement coordination and precision
Individuals who easily get frustrated when learning new movements
What they struggle with:
They feel incapable from their first attempts at movement
They have difficulty concentrating and controlling their emotions during exercise
They know in their head what they want to do, but their body doesn't obey
They sweat profusely and their muscles shake even during simple exercises
Second Group: Experienced Athletes
Who belongs to this group:
People with rich sports experience from the past or present
Those who have good coordination and can mentally mobilize themselves
Individuals accustomed to learning new sports techniques
What they struggle with:
They lack patience with the gradual process ("I must know this in 10 hours")
They try to overcome technical deficiencies with strength and determination
They must learn to perform movements differently than they're used to from other sports
The groups mentioned represent a simplified definition. In practice, there's a mix of these characteristics and these two groups represent more the extreme positions on a scale.
Analysis of Our Swimmer's Initial Condition
Spine Health Situation at the Beginning
Our swimmer faced several challenges at the start of our collaboration:
Lumbar spine: He experienced significant pain and loss of functionality in this area. Many parts had lost their ability for natural movement. Pain appeared during various movements and limited him in daily activities.
Thoracic spine: Showed kyphotic posture (excessive backward curvature). This incorrect curvature affected overall posture and contributed to breathing problems even at rest.
Overall muscular system condition: The back muscles from head to pelvis showed a high degree of muscle tension even at rest. This constant tension exhausted the body and worsened overall comfort.
Health History (Disc Herniation) from the Client's Perspective
To better understand the severity of the situation, it's important to know the specific health history. The swimmer had back problems since age 25-26, but initially didn't take them seriously. "Usually it would pass in a few days. When COVID came, I significantly limited how many steps I took daily, which was my primary movement, and the condition started getting quite worse", he describes the gradual escalation of problems.
The critical moment came in autumn 2020. "The pain was quite severe, probably my lower back also got cold, and that was the last straw. I went to the bathroom and when getting up, it struck me so badly that I couldn't straighten up, walk, nothing. I ended up in the emergency room where they gave me a muscle relaxant injection and medication, but I was still essentially confined to bed for 2 days and couldn't walk without a walking stick for the following 2-3 weeks."
CT examination revealed herniated discs L4/5 and L5/S1 with protrusions of 6 and 7 mm (disc herniation), which were also dehydrated. He started physiotherapy, but in December 2023 another crisis came. Getting out of the car, he again ended up unable to walk and in the emergency room. New CT examination showed worsening - the herniations were now 7 and 10 mm.
"The neurologist recommended surgery, but since my condition was improving thanks to exercise, she sent me to a neurosurgeon first. He told me I was quite lucky to have wide nerve channels, otherwise it would really be time for surgery and I wouldn't be able to walk without pain", he recalls the key decision moment. The neurosurgeon also identified weakened sacroiliac joints in the pelvis as a contributing factor to the pain.
Movement peculiarities:
The swimmer was unable to move the pelvis and chest in isolation
Movements in all planes were significantly restricted
He naturally avoided rapid movements
Transition from standing to lying down was very careful and consciously controlled
He had to concentrate intensely on changing position, as movement was accompanied by pain
Changing position on the ground from lying on his back to lying on his stomach was very complicated and demanding for him
Psychological impact:
Pain in the lumbar spine combined with fear of making an unwanted movement only amplified the increase in tension throughout the body. As a result, he naturally also had complications with breathing even at rest.
Important observation:
It's hard to imagine that this swimmer, in that moment with his current health condition, could easily lie on his back in the water and master the backstroke technique, as is commonly recommended. If he had somehow gotten into a position on his back, there would have been a high probability of extreme worsening of his spine condition.
Retry
Level of Body Awareness
Body mapping - the ability to perceive and control one's own body - was at a very low level. One of the significant centers responsible for body mapping is located in the cerebellum. When a swimmer performs isolated movements in individual joints through movement, they naturally improve the function of the cerebellum, which is responsible for movement precision, balance, and movement coordination. It constantly participates in both conscious and unconscious movements.
If we consider the state of the swimmer's spine at the beginning of our collaboration, it's probably obvious to everyone what functional state his cerebellum was in. It naturally wasn't healthy and fully functional, so we couldn't expect it to be able to support the swimmer's various desires in terms of quickly mastering any swimming technique.
Just as at the beginning of our collaboration, we still currently invest a lot of time in dry preparation. Proper function and brain activation for various tasks is key to success on land as well as in water.
Mental Readiness and Motivation
In our case, it makes sense to define the level of mental resilience only in relation to the swimmer's body movement. From the beginning, we know that the relatively young swimmer didn't have a very rich sports history. That's why it was natural, and I expected that he would simply suffer. The dry preparation itself was extremely challenging for him, and he didn't yet know what awaited him in the unstable and cold water medium.
The client himself describes it this way: "I don't like having to force myself to do something long-term or rely on someone else. When exercising at the gym, apart from the basic set that we gradually make more difficult with the trainer, I really don't feel like pushing myself without a trainer.
With swimming, I hoped it would be something I'd want to do on my own, and that proved to be true."
When moving with his own body, he showed natural caution and needed to:
Build confidence in his own abilities
Understand the importance of dry preparation
Harmonize expectations with the reality of the process
Gradually accept his own learning pace
In any case, he had no choice but to persevere and, through a combination of properly chosen supportive communication (psychological counseling), wait until the swimmer came to terms with it and set his mind as needed to achieve the desired goal. Which he ultimately successfully accomplished.
His motivation and determination to change the situation were admirable from day one.
A Story of Successful Transformation: From Pain to Functionality
Initial Challenges of Our Swimmer with Disc Herniation
When our 33-year-old swimmer began our collaboration, he faced several challenges in the water that we gradually addressed together:
Swimming skills at the beginning:
He knew basic breaststroke technique with head above water
He hadn't mastered breathing technique
After 25 meters he felt fatigue and pain in the lumbar and cervical spine
He was unable to swim using only arms for a distance of 25 meters
He was unable to swim using only legs for a distance of 25 meters
He was unable to regulate swimming speed
He was unable to naturally adapt his swimming with other swimmers in the lane
He was unable to choose a safe swimming lane
Environmental conditions: Training took place in a 25-meter pool at 27 degrees Celsius, which isn't ideal for rehabilitation swimming. The optimal water temperature should be 30 degrees - rehabilitation is possible at lower temperatures, but it significantly complicates the entire process. Swimming challenges were compounded by complications related to the pool environment. Given the swimmer's size, the width of the swimming lane was insufficient - he was justifiably afraid of kicking or hitting someone. He was under long-term stress, fearing someone might hit him in the painful area. This fear of unexpected contact further complicated his already cautious approach to movement in water.
Starting point: The swimmer had no control over his body movement while swimming, and swimming represented more of a risk than a therapeutic activity for him.
Client's Perspective on the Transformation Process
"Swimming really caught me, and even though fear, fatigue, lots of learning and failures prevailed at the beginning, today I go swimming on my own for fitness, exercise, but also for the better mood I have after swimming, unlike running", our swimmer describes his journey.
He particularly appreciated the comprehensiveness of the training approach: "Part of the swimming training included dry land sessions where we mobilized various parts like ankles, lower back, shoulders, etc., which weren't a priority in physiotherapy at that time. Swimming is therefore an excellent complement to rehabilitation as such."
The transformation wasn't just physical: "It's one of the few exercises where I really work the whole body and it requires coordination and concentration, including breathing. Especially my breathing capacity has increased incredibly - things that used to leave me breathless I now do without problems."
Results After Two Years of Intensive Collaboration
After two challenging years, the swimmer mastered an effective breaststroke technique, modified breaststroke technique, backstroke coordination exercise, front crawl and backstroke kick techniques, and thus gained complete control over his body in water:
Key skills achieved:
Smooth full-body coordination - The swimmer can connect arm and leg movements with breathing into one fluid whole. At the beginning, he had to consciously think about every movement, now everything happens automatically. He can swim 25 meters without losing proper body position at the surface or getting out of breath.
Isolated limb movements - He can move in water using only upper or only lower limbs, while keeping the other part of the body still. This ability allows him to specifically strengthen certain muscles or rest the part of the body that's tired or injured. He can still breathe smoothly and maintain a stable position.
Flexible breathing at different paces - Whether swimming slowly or quickly, he can adapt his breathing without disrupting his technique. He manages the head tilt for inhalation smoothly even when changing speed. He no longer panics due to lack of air when speeding up.
Precise speed control - He can set exactly the pace he needs - whether for slow rehabilitation swimming or faster fitness training. He has this control not only with complete technique but also when using just upper or lower limbs.
Swimming intelligence and orientation - He can stop in the middle of the pool and "float" in place using gentle movements. He can start moving again from zero motion. This ability is key for safety - he can rest whenever needed, doesn't have to swim to the pool edge.
Crisis situations without panic - When he accidentally inhales water, he doesn't panic. He can adjust his technique, slow down or stop without losing control over his body. Previously, such a situation would lead to stress and possibly spine pain.
Safety maneuvers for emergency situations - In case of danger (his own or from other swimmers), he can quickly change position from stomach to back. This skill gives him a sense of security in water - he knows he can protect himself and isn't helpless against unexpected situations.
What the Client Says About His Results
"While when we started I had trouble swimming one 25-meter length and felt like my lungs were going to explode, today I can easily swim more than a kilometer without stopping", the swimmer states with pride.
His progress on land is equally impressive: "I can bend forward without problems and on a good day even touch my toes. I can go into a deep squat, even though it's not an ideal position for my spine. I can sit on my heels and stay sitting like that for longer, even lifting my knees. I can walk on my tiptoes or on the inner and outer edges of my feet. I can move my shoulders through greater ranges and don't get tired as quickly when lifting my arms above shoulder level in various directions. I have overall better body posture, whether standing, walking, or sitting."
His abilities in water include: "I can easily swim breaststroke even without breathing for several strokes. I can engage front crawl legs to accelerate movement. I can also swim on my back, submerge by tilting back to control direction. I can also dive under the surface and swim several meters. Most importantly, I can regulate speed, pace, and breathing so that I have no problem swimming for extended periods."
Perhaps most important is his overall assessment: "Basically, I say that I'm currently in the best physical shape I've ever been in, despite the disc problems."
My Training Approach
Why We Start on Dry Land
I explain to every client: "It's not possible to learn to swim with technical efficiency if you can't move naturally and fluidly on dry land." The process of learning to swim is similar to how we learned to move and walk as children. For the brain and psyche of beginners, it's crucial that the correct movement "clicks" as soon as possible.
Typical progression:
Beginning: Dry preparation sometimes lasted up to 40 minutes
Reason: Need for both body and brain to be prepared for movements in water
Result: Gradual reduction to 10-15 minutes as needed
Goal: Independent preparation without my guidance
Building Body Awareness
We invest significant time in developing body mapping through:
Isolated movements in individual joints
Gradual building of movement precision and coordination
Psychological Support and the Importance of Patience
A combination of properly chosen communication and psychological counseling helps clients:
Manage natural frustrations from learning
Set realistic expectations
Build patience and perseverance
The Secret of Patience in Learning:
Missing patience characterizes a wide range of clients regardless of success. Many don't realize that even movement itself requires its own time to mature. At a certain unexpected moment, it suddenly "clicks" and works.
Clients' behavior at this breakthrough moment resembles children's behavior when they understand a certain phenomenon or mystery. That's where the beauty of learning lies. Once they taste it, they develop a taste for it and already know how it will work. Waiting for the next unique moment becomes a natural part of their training philosophy.
Over time, the concept of patience disappears from our communication and thus allows for a calmer and often more effective progression of the further training process.
Typical Challenges and Their Solutions
Internal Conflict of Expectations
To be able to help our swimmer achieve the desired goal, I had to understand multiple variables from the perspective of aquatic environment demands and choosing the appropriate swimming technique. These key variables include:
Complications with spine mobility
Low level of fitness and coordination
Low level of body awareness
Low level of mental resilience
Reluctance to invest time in dry preparation
Incorrectly learned breaststroke technique with head above water
Inability to accept own limits
Many people who decide to start swimming for spine health have a similar starting point. The level of these basic abilities is often at a beginner level for them. This is completely natural and common.
The main challenge is usually the difference between expectations and the reality of the learning process. People often imagine they'll learn to swim faster and more easily than it actually works in reality.
Where do these ideas come from? Mainly from indirect sources - internet articles, advice from acquaintances, or general information. When I ask if they know someone who has personally gone through similar rehabilitation, it turns out they don't have such a person in their circle.
This gap between expectations and reality can cause disappointment. Some people therefore decide to continue on a different path that seems more understandable to them.
How to Approach It
In such situations, I try to help clients understand the true nature of the process. The foundation of my work rests on several simple principles:
Clear explanation: I explain in detail how the learning process works. Clients learn why it takes a certain amount of time and what steps are necessary. When people understand what's happening, they feel calmer.
Respecting individual pace: Every person has their own learning pace. Some need more time to master the basics, others progress faster. What's important is for the client to realize that their pace is right for them.
Appreciating every progress: Even small improvements are important. When a client can perform a movement they couldn't before, or feels more confident in water, it's a victory worth noting.
Building trust in the process: I help clients understand that every step has its purpose. Even when it seems nothing is happening, the body and brain are preparing for the next levels.
Long-term Sustainability - Life with Swimming: Successful rehabilitation isn't just about achieving a goal, but also about maintaining results. Our swimmer created a sustainable system that allows him to live a full life without pain.
"As long as I maintain my 15 minutes of exercise daily and add swimming, gym, or other more intensive exercise at least once a week, I'm basically fully functional. If I do more, it's even better", he describes his current regimen.
Swimming has become a natural part of his life with multiple benefits:
Physical benefits: "My fitness has definitely improved fundamentally, and at the same time my limbs and core have strengthened overall. Swimming engaged the rest of my body and kept it in balance. Now over time we're benefiting from this in physiotherapy too. The body has greater strength and range."
Problem prevention: "The last few months fortunately my health has been very good. My back rarely acts up, and that's exactly when I neglect exercise or swimming for several days in a row."
Psychological benefits: Swimming isn't just about physical health. "I have an activity I enjoy doing, it keeps me fit and at the same time helps me clear my head", he says about the mental aspect of swimming.
Importantly, he found an activity he enjoys and doesn't have to force himself to do. "Today I go swimming on my own for fitness, exercise, but also for the better mood I get after swimming, unlike running."
His approach to maintaining health is comprehensive:
Still attends physiotherapy once a week
Exercises 15 minutes daily at home
Swims regularly for fitness
Occasionally uses the stationary bike at the gym to simulate climbing uphill
"Almost 2 years have passed since then, and by following the regimen I don't have pain, and if something occasionally flares up, with the right exercises I'm fit again in a day or two", he notes with satisfaction.
Conclusion
Spine rehabilitation through swimming is not a quick process. Our 33-year-old swimmer is proof that even with significant spine problems and no sports history, it's possible to achieve significant improvement - assuming patience, professional guidance, and respect for one's own limits.
This post captures only the most important points of a complex rehabilitation process, which in practice is much more complex and requires an individual approach.
Message for People with Similar Problems
For those considering a similar journey, our swimmer has a clear message. His story proves that even when starting with serious limitations - 10mm herniated discs, inability to walk without a cane, fear of water - radical improvement is possible.
The key is understanding this is a long-term process. "After my experience with a physio trainer, I saw the great benefit of having a trainer, so I started looking and I don't regret it, I probably would never have gotten where I am on my own, or it would have taken many times longer", he emphasizes the importance of professional guidance.
The combination of physiotherapy and swimming created a synergistic effect: "Swimming is an excellent complement to rehabilitation as such." It's not a replacement for conventional treatment, but its effective extension.
His advice for others is simple: find an activity that you enjoy and that heals at the same time.
For him it was swimming, which brought him not only health but also joy from movement and the ability to enjoy activities with family and friends that he couldn't do before.
Practical Demonstrations:
See what someone who could only manage 25 meters with pain two years ago can do now...
The following videos document the swimmer's real progress after two years of work. These demonstrations aren't just technical exercises - they're proof that even with significant spine problems, it's possible to achieve complete control over movement in water. Each video captures a specific skill that the swimmer had to gradually master. From basic technique to advanced coordination exercises - everything you see here was impossible two years ago.
Basic Breaststroke technique:
Video 1: Complete Breaststroke Technique - The full technique including various combinations and variations are directly described in the video:
Video 2: Breaststroke Technique - Endurance - 1 km in 26 minutes - While swimming 1 km, the swimmer demonstrated that he has the breaststroke technique fully under control. He had to unexpectedly change speed and repeatedly check his rhythm at a certain pace, while knowing that the way he swims corresponds to the breaststroke technique training methodology:
Modified Breaststroke technique:
Video 3: Surface Swimming with Complete Technique - Modified breaststroke technique performed on the surface without swimming aids, as well as with paddles to strengthen upper limbs. Underwater swimming - Modified breaststroke technique performed completely underwater without swimming aids, as well as with paddles. Isolated arms - Using only upper limbs with paddles on the surface with modified breaststroke technique..
Double Arm Backstroke Coordination Excercise:
Video 4: Complete Double Arm Backstroke Coordination Technique - Complete backstroke coordination exercise technique with/without paddles. Isolated arms - Swimming using only upper limbs with swimming aids such as paddles and kickboard. Performance where the swimmer swims using only upper limb movement without swimming aids is characterized by sinking. This is caused by loss of spine mobility and insufficient fitness level of upper limbs, respiratory and cardiovascular system. Isolated legs - Various arm position variations when performing breaststroke kick in backstroke position.
Swimming safety:
Video 5: The swimmer demonstrates a combination of swimming techniques that allow him to safely change body position from stomach to back and vice versa. These skills are crucial when dealing with crisis situations such as fatigue, water inhalation, or cramps. Thanks to them, he gained a sense of security in water - he knows he can change position without pain and without risk of injuring the lumbar spine.
Freestyle kick technique:
Video 6: The swimmer demonstrates the current level of freestyle kick technique and its variations, such as start/stop, arms in different positions, or coordination of upper limb movements during kicking. The freestyle kick technique places considerable demands on core stability, mobility, and fitness. That's why we use this technique very carefully to avoid overloading the lumbar spine, which could result in the return of pain and other complications.
Backstroke kick technique:
Video 7: The swimmer demonstrates the current level of backstroke kick technique with various arm positions during kicking. The backstroke kick technique also places considerable demands on core stability, mobility, and fitness. Therefore, we use this technique very carefully as well, to avoid overloading the lumbar spine, which could result in the return of pain and other complications.
This post is based on real experiences from rehabilitation practice. For individual consultation, please contact a qualified specialist.
If you like my training system and approach, don't hesitate to contact me and book your first trial training session. I'll be looking forward to it!
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