It's about that time again: The time where my back is in knots and I'm really in pain because of it.

Last night I happened to stumble across the website of a surgical clinic that handles this sort of injury. The procedure for this sort of injury seems pretty straight-forward, but it is unsettling.

It would require an incision in my chest, the deflation of a lung, screws and rods, re-inflation, some staples, painkillers, and a rigid brace for 4 months. All this to treat a fracture like the one in figure A1.

I imagine it'll be a bit different considering this is a 10-year-old injury, but who knows!