Alaskan trek’s a pain in the back

BACK up . . . Jane Hodgson helps ease Sue Heywood’s back pains

Jane to the rescue of Sue’s dream holiday

A HOLIDAY to Alaska turned into a major ordeal for one Oldham woman after she injured her back and was unable to move.

And Sue Heywood’s woes were compounded when she found that the airline due to bring her home had gone bust.

Miss Heywood’s troubles began on the second day of her six-week trip to the US state, with friend and colleague Jill Davies, when she suffered severe sciatica and back pain.

She ended up flat on her back on the floor unable to move.

Unable to find a physiotherapist in the remote area, the holiday seemed doomed and the Oldham College teacher wondered how she would get home without incurring huge medical costs.

But Jill, from Greenfield, went on the Internet and asked web-based physiotherapy practice Physiobench, based in Marsden, West Yorkshire, to help her friend manage the injury.

A series of exercises were suggested by Physiobench’s Jane Hodgson and they helped get Miss Heywood back on her feet within a couple of days.

Miss Heywood said: “We were miles from anything. I had pain down my back and legs and I couldn’t move, sit down or sleep. It was terrible.

“We e-mailed Physiobench for advice. I was on the floor doing these exercises and trying to get them right. I did them every day and slowly recovered.

“I was in pain for three weeks but it eased off after that. I’m just hoping it stays that way now as it took a while to disappear. I was so glad Jane was there and I could get in touch with her and ask her what to do.”

Jill and Sue continued their September backpack trip around the Alaskan National Parks by camping in Denali — but were oblivious to the news that airline Zoom had gone bust, leaving them with no return tickets home.

Miss Heywood added: “When we got to the airport all the flights had been cancelled. When we went to Zoom airline’s desk everything was empty and someone came and told us they had gone bust.

“We spent a frantic day e-mailing airlines, finding, then losing, seats and seeing the prices get higher and higher. Finally we bought two seats with another airline costing twice as much as our Zoom tickets. It’s made me think about who I book with now.

“I try to do a big trip every year. Alaska was a fantastic place but it’s quite difficult to travel in.”

In the previous year, the pair had hiked the 211-mile John Muir trail in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains.

It took three months of exercises for Sue’s back to fully recover and she’s now planning another trip.

Physiobench owner Jane Hodgson said: “This was an unusual request for treatment but given the circumstances, I had to deal with it immediately.

“Thankfully after following the exercises for a couple of days, Sue was back on her feet and able to continue her trip.

“The problem could have reoccurred so I kept e-mailing her to nag her and make sure she was doing her exercises!”