Post op recovery and rehab

[DR ◣◢]

Little back story first. In December I had 3 incidents which left me with a badly sequestrated disc between L4/L5. For the following 3 months I worked hard with physios and bios to try and resolve this but sadly the outcome was surgery to remove the part of the disc and do a decompression.

 

Had the operation on the 7th of April and I am 100% back to normal and almost completely pain free. Just a lot of stiffness in the lower back and legs but stretching and supplied exercises from the physio is helping a lot. I do have a little bit of nerve irritation still in my left leg which is perfectly normal.

 

I am returning to my bio from Friday.

 

I need a little advice on top of all of the above.

 

I plan to return to road riding on the 1st of June. Starting of very slow to get fitness back. This will be around 8 weeks after the operation. My return to dirt will be in July. I am also starting to swim from mid May and thinking of getting on the IDT from that time also just to gently spin legs.

 

The surgeon advised that I keep doing the physio until June and then start with biokinetics but both him and the physio felt that I have more than enough flexibility and strength to speed things up a little bit. I will be taking it very easy. Last thing I want is to get injured again.

 

Any advice from people who have had a microdiscetomy and lumbar decompression done?

[DR ◣◢]

To add... I'm off any kind of pain medication.

[Guest Smimby]

I had L5S1 done and ride the Argus 3,5 months later. Bad idea, should have stayed of the bike for 3 months min. Give that disc time to heal or another piece could come out again and end up on the nerve again.

[DR ◣◢]

I had L5S1 done and ride the Argus 3,5 months later. Bad idea, should have stayed of the bike for 3 months min. Give that disc time to heal or another piece could come out again and end up on the nerve again.

 

How quickly did you get back on and how hard did you train?

[Guest Smimby]

 

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How quickly did you get back on and how hard did you train?

 

Did not train hard, but I think that being in the road bike position stopped the disc from healing and later on another piece came loose and hit the nerve again.

 

Give that nerve time to heal 100% before doing any riding or you could just inflame it again.

 

6-8 weeks will heal the cut and bone, but the nerve will take much longer the heal.

 

I ended up inflaming my sciatic nerve from my back to halfway down my leg, according to the MRI scan.

 

Maybe do ride but, as upright as possible and gently stuff.

[DR ◣◢]

Thanks for the feedback. Last thing I want to do is re-injure myself. Might just do a little IDT work in an upright position and swimming until July.

[tunariaan]

rather swim a bit longer and give your back some more time to heal up

[Guest Smimby]

Thanks for the feedback. Last thing I want to do is re-injure myself. Might just do a little IDT work in an upright position and swimming until July.

 

Good idea!

[DR ◣◢]

 

Good idea!

 

Did you need another op?

[Firemeister]

Little back story first. In December I had 3 incidents which left me with a badly sequestrated disc between L4/L5. For the following 3 months I worked hard with physios and bios to try and resolve this but sadly the outcome was surgery to remove the part of the disc and do a decompression.

 

Had the operation on the 7th of April and I am 100% back to normal and almost completely pain free. Just a lot of stiffness in the lower back and legs but stretching and supplied exercises from the physio is helping a lot. I do have a little bit of nerve irritation still in my left leg which is perfectly normal.

 

I am returning to my bio from Friday.

 

I need a little advice on top of all of the above.

 

I plan to return to road riding on the 1st of June. Starting of very slow to get fitness back. This will be around 8 weeks after the operation. My return to dirt will be in July. I am also starting to swim from mid May and thinking of getting on the IDT from that time also just to gently spin legs.

 

The surgeon advised that I keep doing the physio until June and then start with biokinetics but both him and the physio felt that I have more than enough flexibility and strength to speed things up a little bit. I will be taking it very easy. Last thing I want is to get injured again.

 

Any advice from people who have had a microdiscetomy and lumbar decompression done?

Maxxis. I had the exact same surgery in Oct '12, also on L4/L5. I've done all the research you can on this and have first hand experience.

 

You need to be aware of the following, if you want to live a normal life again:

 

- don't rush to get back on the bike, you need to give the wound 8 weeks to heal properly

- eventhough the pain is gone and you might feel 100%, you are not 100% yet and it can take up to 12 months to feel normal again. Although it is micro surgery, it is still a very deep and delicate procedure with cutting around sensitive areas around your spine

- some form of stiffness will alway be present, and you'll have to be extra vigilant with your back going forward (how you sit, pick things up etc.)

- for best recovery and to avoid a reoccurence, do your rehab properly as follows:

 

1. First properly strengthen your core again, (this starts immediately after surgery and should be done for at least 3 months). Consider the help of a biocineticist here

2. only get on a bike after you've completed the 3 month core and stretch routine to make sure your back is strong prior to getting in the saddle again

3. If you're a mtb'er, rather avoid a hardtail going forward

4. Maintain core strengthening excercises and stretches throughout your life

5. Avoid gaining any weight, to assist your back

6. Avoid jogging if you can, as the jarring won't be good for your discs

 

You can cycle normal and even competitavely again, but ensure you are 100% recovered first. No use rushing it and then spoiling it for yourself forever..

 

When i got back on a bike for the first time after 3 months of core training and stretches, i felt awesome, as i've never really trained my core before, and i could all of a sudden feel the massive impact a stronger core makes for riding a bike.

 

Feel free to Pm me for my number if you have more questions.

[DR ◣◢]

Thanks for the feedback. Really appreciate it!

[Firemeister]

I forgot to mention..

 

I did the Epic about 7 months prior to the surgery, so i was very fit and healthy, which the doctors said was a major boost for the surgery and recovery.

 

The better your overall health and fitness, the quicker you should be able to recover fully. The poorer your health, the more reason to give your body sufficient time to heal

[Ryan physio]

Hey there

 

My 2,0c worth.

 

A few things you need to consider. As a physio myself working with surgeons I have learnt one thing. They are the one's that cut you open and see the damage, and that's why they "make the rules"

 

What is a few extra weeks off the bike vs a complication due to pushing too hard too soon.

 

As I am sure both the doc and your physio have explained, although the sequestration was removed your back will never 100%. You had to hVe surgery and some stuff was cut out.

 

Cyclist in general are prone to L5/S1 disc issues purely by virtue of the fact of the position on the bike.

 

Science has gone a long way in terms of rehab advice, bike fits, bracing etc.

 

At the end of the day each person also recovers at a different rate, and not all disc problems are equal.

 

It has a great success rate and you have seen other people give examples of how they got back on the bike.

 

Bottem line

 

Trust your health professionals, you have nothing to lose by going slower but you stand to lose a lot if you go too soon.