My Maui back pain recovery started with a problem that made work, parenting and surfing difficult. In December, pain in my upper back and left arm grew progressively worse. Over the following months, I sought help from several Maui practitioners and changed parts of my daily routine.
This is a personal account, with editorial corrections to the medical claims. The experiences and provider mentions describe that period. They aren’t a current treatment plan or a substitute for an individual medical evaluation. Mahalo Treehouse Dad for sharing!
What was wrong with my back?
There was no obvious new injury, just severe upper-back pain and pain down my left arm. It got so bad I couldn’t surf. I know, unimaginable. While I was daydreaming about the swells I was missing, figuring out what was happening became a top priority.
I originally included a short Vine clip from that period. The old embedded player may no longer work, but the reference remains part of the story.
What did I think caused it?
I tell people it was from doing a triple backflip on a dirt bike. Not so much.
My first thought was that working at the computer for 10 to 16 hours a day, then carrying our very heavy baby, had caught up with me. Throw in a pinch of rare exercise and some habits I wanted to improve. It felt like a recipe for trouble.
That was my theory, rather than proof of a single cause. After several months, I had an MRI. In my original account, I described bulging discs around C5–C6 and C6–C7, bone spurs and pressure on nerves. I had pain in my neck, shoulder and arm, and my thumb had been numb for months.
Although I called it a busted back, the scan findings I described involved the neck. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons explains cervical radiculopathy as irritation or compression of a nerve in the neck. It can cause arm pain, weakness or numbness. Those symptoms need clinical assessment, rather than a diagnosis from somebody else’s blog.
The Maui practitioners I saw
I wanted help understanding the problem and finding relief. I tried several approaches, sometimes at the same time. That means I can’t reliably separate which treatment, natural improvement or change in routine contributed to my recovery.
Massage
Maui’s Best Massage helped me feel relief from the tightness in my back. At the time, having therapists come to my house was a big part of the appeal. No driving meant one less task when I was already hurting. Check the company’s current services directly; the original house-call experience doesn’t describe every appointment it offers today.
Peter Hofmann, LMT, also helped me feel better after sessions. I went weekly for a time, although traveling to deep Kula was a challenge. These are memories of the care I received then, rather than confirmation of a current practice location or availability.
Acupuncture
I saw Kenneth Busto at the Community Acupuncture & Herbal Clinic of Maui in Makawao. I felt better after visits and appreciated his care. He also used cupping, which I described as feeling like getting cozy with a giant octopus.
That description reflects how it felt, rather than evidence that cupping released toxins or repaired a disc. I no longer present my purchase of cups as a suggestion to try the treatment at home.
Physical therapy
My original post linked Maui Physical Therapy and Ace Physical Therapy. At Ace, Matt Eller helped me understand positions and movements that seemed to aggravate the pain. My visits with Amanda and Matt were valuable in learning how to sleep, sit and handle everyday tasks more comfortably.
Erika Fabian was another physical therapist I saw. She helped with exercises and came to our office to look at our seating and workstations. She told me things I didn’t particularly want to hear. At that point, I needed someone to keep me focused.
The old Dolphin Plaza location and phone numbers belong to the 2015 account. Confirm current locations, clinicians and appointments through the practices themselves.
Other consultations and Kaiser
I also saw Dr. Michael Morrison for kinesiology. I appreciated the attention he gave me and felt that those visits helped me understand my habits. That personal impression isn’t proof of a particular medical mechanism.
My Kaiser experience included physical therapy, an orthopedic consultation and a physiatry referral. I was frustrated by some visits and by discussions about medication and surgery. I wanted a clearer explanation of my options and what I could reasonably expect.
The original article quoted those conversations angrily and claimed I’d proved a doctor wrong. That went further than my experience could support. My improvement didn’t demonstrate that bone spurs disappeared or that surgery is wrong for other people. A second opinion can help clarify options when the first conversation leaves questions unanswered.
Changes during my Maui back pain recovery
Alongside appointments, I made changes that felt manageable in daily life:
- Food and drink: I cut back on some coffee, sugar and processed food. Living near Mana Foods in Pāʻia made it easier to find foods I enjoyed. Ginger, turmeric, broth and lemon water appeared in my routine, but I don’t present them as a cure.
- Relaxation: I replaced some evening wine or scotch with hot tea and enjoyed warm baths. My tea collection became pretty epic.
- Sleep: My wife and I were night owls, while our children were early risers. I tried to go to bed earlier.
- Movement: My physical therapists gave me exercises suited to my situation. Those individual instructions aren’t a program for another person’s injury.
- Work habits: I adjusted my desk and chair, added a standing option and tried to take breaks to walk around.
- Family duties: We changed how we shared lifting and childcare while I was struggling. Our baby boy was a big boy!
- Time away: I took a little over a month off work to travel with the family. Carrying luggage and sitting on planes weren’t easy, but time away from the desk felt good.
What about all those supplements?
My old list included a multivitamin, magnesium, vitamins C, B3, E and A, zinc, herbal products and a prescription anti-inflammatory. I also named products as Citramens, Meringa and Reichi drops. That list records what I reported using; it isn’t a shopping list or a recommendation to combine them.
NCCIH’s supplement guidance explains that supplements can interact with medicines and may carry risks. Review specific products and doses with a qualified clinician or pharmacist. Likewise, the evidence for complementary approaches to neck pain varies. Personal relief doesn’t establish that an approach repairs structural changes.
Was it a quick recovery?
No. I was told to be patient, which was very hard. All I wanted was to surf, pick up my baby boy and get back to normal. Instead, recovery involved months of appointments, changes, expense and uncertainty.
By the time I wrote the 2015 update, I felt much better and was getting back in the water when I could. That was the outcome I reported then. It doesn’t tell us which single change caused it or guarantee the same result for someone else.
AAOS notes that many people with cervical radiculopathy improve with nonsurgical care, while persistent symptoms can lead to a surgical recommendation. My Maui back pain recovery is one person’s story from that period, with gratitude for the people who helped me through it.
We’re a small group of full-time Maui residents that LOVE exploring and writing about what we think is the best place on Earth: The Island of Maui, Hawaii! Expect many more articles, reviews, photos and videos of Maui and all of the Hawaiian Islands. ALOHA!
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