BURNING WITCHES guitarist Courtney Cox (ex THE IRON MAIDENS) went on Side Jams With Bryan Reesman to talk about being a foodie and a fitness buff. She also discussed her life in Germany as she moved there three years ago. During the interview, the guitarist revealed that she has been playing and touring with lower back issues for years.

“I have three herniated discs in my lower back from a nasty car accident from when I was way younger, so I really have to be careful,” she explained. “I was too scared to have surgery, and then I was suggested not to have the surgery because I was too young. So I’ve kind of just dealt with it. At first I had to have an epidural every three months just to live. But as I’ve gotten older, sometimes it acts up if I move the wrong way or lift something the wrong way. Knock on wood, so far I’ve been okay.”

When asked if there was any surgery she could do now, Courtney replied yes. “Actually, the other guitar player, Romana, just had the surgery done,” she said. “She had the same problems I have in her lower back, and we actually almost had to end our last U.S. tour early because she moved the wrong way. Then being in a van for hours on end, she could barely walk. She was in and out of urgent cares and getting this shot and that shot. But then when we finally got home, she went in and had the back surgery.”

“I don’t normally notice it,” Courtney added about her back. “Obviously, with the strap, you can adjust and move, but with your central gravity and stuff, you have this piece of wood, so you’re constantly trying to fight not going forward and always trying to be conscious of keeping your shoulders back… The show must go on, though.”