A spinal exam is underway at a clinic south of Sydney. On the table is Kylie Stewart, who suffers from severe lower back pain. "I have two bulging discs, in my lower spine," says Stewart, 38. "It's pretty debilitating. I can't play sport, I have pretty much given up. I used to run a lot. I can't do that anymore, obviously. "I just feel old and incapable and upset — really, really upset.
The disc injury occurred while recovering from knee surgery from a sporting accident, and during a light workout at the gym. "The next day I woke up and I literally could not move. It was excruciating pain and my right hip was higher than my left and I could not straighten my back," she says. Experts have offered powerful painkillers or fusion surgery, but Stewart says neither treatment appeals to her.