One of my good friends has always suffered from a bad back but in 2010 she suffered a bad fall on some black ice and it changed her life forever.

Before this incident, she was able to work but would suffer from the occasional flare-up. Since the accident, she has been in constant pain and has been on meds ever since.

She had to give up her job and move in with her parents (who are in their 70s). Not a situation she ever imagined herself to be in. She’s had a number of operations and a few years ago she had a device fitted into her back to try and help ease her back pain.

I can’t even begin to imagine what it must be like to be in constant pain like that. It goes without saying that mobility is an issue for her. On a good day, she is able to walk around unaided, on an average day she uses a walking stick and on a really bad day she sometimes struggles to even get out of bed.

They have had to make some minor changes to their bathroom to make things easier and at some point down the line will be looking to fully renovate their bathroom to accommodate a walk-in bath. Companies such as Premier Bathrooms offer a fantastic range of suites that not only look good but more importantly allow people like my friend to bathe in comfort and feel safe. She’s also considering hydrotherapy baths as they can help relieve pain and reduce muscle tension.

She is hopeful that with today’s technology that she might be relieved a little more of the pain she’s currently in and will be able to rely on fewer meds.