Below is a list of what I practise and treatments I go through to keep my pain in check and to restore some semblance of normality to my life, and my pain journey itself.
1) Daily, morning and evening 20 minute core workouts
2) Thrice a week HIIT (High intensity interval training) and Squash training
3) Ultrasonic Hydrotherapy at Shiruki Studio on Mondays, for maintenance, and after each sporting activity
4) Visit chiropractor once a month
5) Visit orthopaedic specialist once every year
6) Watch what I eat and drink
7) Have enough rest and sleep on a hard mattress or a thin one placed on the floor.

Ultrasonic Hydrotherapy is a form of massage treatment using Water, Heat and Bubbles travelling at 1540 metres/second. Sometimes, our body needs some help to trigger the self-healing process, and Ultrasonic Hydrotherapy is one such effective trigger. It therefore can be seen as an alternative path to preventive healthcare.

Other noteworthy properties of the bath include immunity boosting, stress reduction, pain relief, injury healing, body slimming, skin complexion and blood circulation improvement.

I had continued to suffer intermittent lower back pain, monthly, until I was introduced to Ultrasonic Hydrotherapy, which helped my body enjoy longer periods between recurrence - much much longer. I am happy to report over the past 2 years, I have only had 3 episodes of debilitating pain in my lower back.

I discovered Ultrasonic Hydrotherapy in 2018, after 4 long years of trying all kinds of treatment to manage my pain better and restore some normality into my life.

My life before my deterioration of health condition that led to Shiruki Studio

The year was 2014. I was an avid squash player, tennis player, runner and cyclist. I was also heading a corporate IT support company.

My bad back condition surfaced in December 2014 when I collapsed on the job, while moving data servers from one rack to another in a server room at my client’s office. I crawled out of the place not knowing what happened, dragged myself up, picked up my gear, shuffled to the nearest lift, shuffled further to my car, sat in the driver’s seat, used my hands to lift both my legs into the vehicle, and drove to my Physiotherapist (shout out to Physio Eight at Far East Shopping Centre) , who promptly diagnosed it as a slipped disc condition and she proceeded to berate me for not calling an ambulance in my condition. My retort was that I did not know what was going on with me and thought it was just muscle cramps.

MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scan confirmed it was a case of herniated discs affecting lumbar vertebrae L3, L4, L5. I had 2 choices, a $70 000 surgery with 15% chance the condition will get worse, or do something to strengthen my core muscles to reduce the intensity of the pain shooting down my legs and to bring down the frequency of the occurrence of this event. I chose the latter.

From December 2014 to June 2015, I spent much time seeing the chiropractor and doing daily morning workouts to stabilise the situation. It was not easy shaking off the shooting pain down my legs from the pinched nerves, but by July 2015 I managed to enjoy alternate months pain free with the pain coming back less frequently (every 6 to 8 weeks). As time wore on, I got to experience almost 2 to 3 months without the pain before it returned and hung around for between 10 to 14 days. All this while, my knees have been over-compensating for my inability to bend at the waist to lower myself, and in 2016, I tore both my meniscus**.

In January 2018, things changed. I experienced discomfort in my back that I was not accustomed to. My lower back muscle spasm this time around was so bad I had to resort to employing a walking stick to help me stand up and support me as I walked. The pain was more intense and it lasted over 3 weeks. I underwent another MRI scan(shout out to Dr Gan Yu Unn, Asia Health Partners, at Lucky Plaza). The scan showed that now I have L1 with a protruded disc.

I was down to just L2 as my only intact lower back disc.

This made me even more determined to fight this condition. I really wanted my old life back. I refused to tolerate this new situation whereby my back pain was cycling through shorter intervals of 3 painless weeks and 2 painful weeks.

Serendipitous Event

I saw it as a serendipitous occurrence that I met an old friend from primary school in June 2018, and we reconnected. It was in our conversations when we started exchanging our personal health issues. On hearing of my back problem, he shared that he was selling a machine that does Ultrasonic Hydrotherapy, which may help my condition. I was more than game to try anything at this juncture. 3 sessions of 20 minutes full body soak later, over intervals of 2 days in between each soak, were all it took for me to feel something has changed. I added another 3 sessions and 4 pain free months passed before I felt normal enough to go back to running and by end 2018, I was back to playing squash and tennis. I was also back to cycling.

I waited for the spasm to return, and it did not. It actually only made its presence known in August 2019, 14 months since the last episode. I was very much sold on this treatment. In that 14 pain-free months, I returned to competitive squash and had many in the squash fraternity, who knew of my retirement from squash in 2015, asking about my miraculous recovery. I felt obliged to share this treatment with them, but on the other hand, did not want them to be subjected to being pressured by sales talk if they were, as I did, to visit the bath at the Ultrasonic Hydrotherapy machine’s main distributor’s office. I just wanted them to be treated, and to purely enjoy the experience of the treatment.

In September 2019 I began the project to set up a place for Ultrasonic Hydrotherapy, for my family, my relatives, my friends and all who were willing to give this treatment a chance.

I still see my chiropractor monthly. I still do my morning core workouts.

Now I have, as part of my wellness regime, these bath sessions which I can enjoy in the comfort of my own Hydrotherapy centre, my Shiruki Studio, and share the experience with all who seek an alternative path to healing.

Just in case this bit of information has left you, I shall refresh your memory.

I am Zee. I AM still an avid squash player, fortnightly tennis player, twice-a-week runner and a Sunday cyclist. I still run 2 other businesses in addition to my passion project, Shiruki Studio.

Shiruki Studio is not profit driven but motivated by the obligation to share good things that especially relates to well-being.

I fought the war against pain, and came out on top.

You can too.

Zee.

*I am an admirer of Japanese culture and their work ethics. When coming up with the name, look and feel of the centre and the operating guiding principles of the place for management and staff, I looked to the land of the rising sun for inspiration.

Shiruki is how the Japanese would pronounce the word Silky. So Shiruki Studio is actually Silky Studio - Silky alluding to my hope for everyone’s life journey to be as smooth and pain-free as possible, spiritually, mentally and physically.

**meniscus: The meniscus is a C-shaped piece of tough, rubbery cartilage that acts as a shock absorber between your shinbone and thighbone. It can be torn if you suddenly twist your knee while bearing weight on it. A torn meniscus is one of the most common knee injuries.