Herniated Disc: Functioning, Recovering, and Finding a New Balance

Inna Boukreeva
3 days ago
3 min read

At forty-five, I suffered a herniated disc with sciatica, caused by a fall down the stairs where I slid down five steps and landed on my legs—in twelve-centimeter-high heels. The impact primarily damaged the lower intervertebral disc, the disc that supports the spine.

The first 24 hours were excruciating. I could only run around the house in pain. At the hospital, I was told I would have to "go through it myself," because surgery was only considered for long-term, acute symptoms. With painkillers, the worst of the pain subsided. Drawing on my NLP background, I decided I would make a full recovery—and I began exploring how to stay mobile.

An Aesthetic on a Mission: Keep Moving

I realized I had to say goodbye to my pumps. For someone 1.65 meters tall, high heels had been my way of appearing elegant, tall, and slim for years. I am an aesthete; Shape and appearance are important to me. The idea of becoming "square" felt like my identity would disappear.

I also have a daughter, who was ten at the time, whom I took daily to school, opera singing, piano lessons, and, at the time, theater classes. Mobility wasn't a luxury—it was a responsibility. That's why I switched to personalized online yoga guidance to get back on my feet.

Self-observation: the key to functioning

When you realize that continuing as you always did could mean ending up in a wheelchair, everything changes. I started observing my behavior and noted which movements or postures directly led to pain or "short circuits" in my back muscles—moments when I literally couldn't get up.

For me, the biggest triggers were:

Sitting in an armchair at the computer for a long time
Standing for a long time
A series of abdominal exercises
High heels

I threw away twenty pairs of pumps and accepted that working out was no longer possible. The back is partly supported by the abdominal muscles, but every attempt to train them ended in bed rest. What did work

I discovered I could tolerate certain activities well:

Light cycling at the gym
Swimming
Light aerobics, carefully selected on YouTube
Yoga, in a modified form, where I avoided risky movements

I also started eating cleaner: no desserts, no soda, no pastries. Pure food gave me energy without taxing my body.

After a few years, I could wear heels again: modest ones, five to nine centimeters high, usually on block heels.

A new rhythm of life

The downside: this program requires constant discipline. One misstep and you have to start over. Sitting all day in the office or standing for long periods is no longer feasible for me. That meant I had to restructure my work: more intellectual, less physical.

I've learned to listen to my body. When my back tells me it's had enough, I lie down or sit for ten minutes. Then I can continue.

And in the summer I play golf—that works perfectly.

Living with choice and awareness

Ultimately, everything is a choice. Even if your main disc isn't "as good as new," you can maintain a dynamic, vital body.

Six years later

The photo I'm referring to was taken in the summer of 2025. I'll be 51, six years after my herniated disc. Starving myself isn't an option for me: my blood pressure and blood sugar are too low. I eat five times a day, or whenever my body demands it—but almost never desserts, no soda.

My diet is pure:

Steak