Staying on top of health is one of the greatest gifts we can give to ourselves, both from a physical standpoint and just in appreciation of the individual temples keeping us going day-to-day.
Health problems can, unfortunately, hit us at random when we least expect it, sometimes due to negligence on our end but also by the unfortunate chance of inherited illness. In both cases, all you can do is go about taking the right actions to better yourself.
That’s exactly what boxing legend Mike Tyson did when he allowed himself to be photographed while in a wheelchair during a recent public appearance. He later confirmed that it was due to his ongoing battle with sciatica, a nerve disorder that causes debilitating pain from your lower back down to one or both legs.
In Iron Mike’s case, he says a flare-up can get so bad that it leaves him with the inability to even speak.
“I have sciatica every now and then,” Tyson confirmed to Newsmax TV earlier this month after his wheelchair photos leaked (seen above), with the youngest heavyweight champion going on to add, “When it flares up, I can’t even talk! Thank God it’s the only health problem I have.”
Take a look at some of the common symptoms of sciatica below, via WebMD:
Lower back pain
Pain in the rear or leg that is worse when sitting
Hip pain Burning or tingling down the leg
Weakness, numbness, or a hard time moving the leg or foot
A constant pain on one side of the rear
A shooting pain that makes it hard to stand up
While most people with sciatica tend to recover within 4 to 6 weeks, symptoms can last up to a year or longer for a select few. That ends up applying to Black people in particular being that we’re systematically under-treated for back pains. A 2020 study by UVA Batten revealed that Black and Hispanic people receive worse on 40% of healthcare provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. That number is especially relevant to the racial disparities involving medical pain treatment.
In addition to wishing Iron Mike a speedy recovery, we wanted to use his bravery in publicly speak on his sciatica diagnosis by highlight a few other rare health problems that have proven to affect our community at a rapid rate.
Potentially save yourself or a loved one by getting some need-to-know facts on rare health issues that we think Black people should be informed on:
