Success after back op- advice needed

[herrowpreeze]

Hi all,

Just a question from anyone out there.

I am having a disc replacement surgery finally after many years of pain. My measure of success is firstly if my pain is relieved but also if I can get back on my bike and hit the trails. The surgeon said i would be able to after about 9 months

I wanted to know if anyone has had the procedure or any spinal surgery and been able to get back in the saddle. I'm not looking to set any land speed records, just really missing riding my bike. (also it is finally an excuse to upgrade to full sus)

Any advise (except don't have a back, I've already been down that road) would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[RockCoach]

I had a disc removed 30 years ago when I was 16. I started road racing seriously from about 20 to 30. That was 15 years ago and I since then I discovered MTBing. I have serious back pain issues when I don't ride. When I'm fit, riding lots, stretching, doing biokinetic prescribed exercises. Then everything is cool. 

[BDF]

I has spine surgery in January 2015. One disc removed and another sort of trimmed. I am riding again but not nearly at the level I was. This is mainly due to nerve damage in my leg which will take time to heal. (and falling off my MTB and breaking my wrist recently. Happy to chat about it if you want. Just PM me your number.

[Skylark]

Op by disc replacement you mean a 2 vertebrae are being fused?

[Broker]

Disk replacement is not a fusion. A Titanium disk replace the old worn out disk and in most cases you will have full mobility of the back.

My wife had two disks replaced about 8 years ago. Started cycling about 6 months after the op and never looked back. Had a major crash the other day at Modderfontein and we were seriously worried. A scan showed no issues with disks or vertebrae just some muscle spasm. Be sure to see the absolute best as far as Neuro Surgeon is concerned and take special care with recovery process. PM me if you need more detail

[JXV]

Where in your spine is the disc to be replaced?

 

I fractured 2 (not adjacent) thoracic vertebrae 5 years ago. Ended up with 6 levels fused T2 to T7. It was at least 6 months before I could comfortably start riding and then only short distances. There was some nerve damage and my right arm had lost some strength and would collapse or get numb occasionally. 15 months after the op I did a 4 day cross country ride in Lesotho...unprepared footpaths and goat tracks with a 6km portage the one day. Also managed to carry a 30kg backpack into the drakensberg and lead some ice climbing routes up frozen waterfalls that winter. But I will never be as fast on a bike or as strong a climber as before the accident.

 

So substantial recovery should be possible but this type of op is quite invasive and a lot of soft tissue gets disturbed in the process. It will take some time to heal, circulation to recover fully etc. Pay attention to the physio excercises they give you. I also did a bit of swimming early in recovery. Only thing that didn't hurt at the time.

[herrowpreeze]

Op by disc replacement you mean a 2 vertebrae are being fused?

No not fusion, disc replacement.

 

Removing the damaged disc and replacing it with a prosthetic one 

[herrowpreeze]

Where in your spine is the disc to be replaced?

 

I fractured 2 (not adjacent) thoracic vertebrae 5 years ago. Ended up with 6 levels fused T2 to T7. It was at least 6 months before I could comfortably start riding and then only short distances. There was some nerve damage and my right arm had lost some strength and would collapse or get numb occasionally. 15 months after the op I did a 4 day cross country ride in Lesotho...unprepared footpaths and goat tracks with a 6km portage the one day. Also managed to carry a 30kg backpack into the drakensberg and lead some ice climbing routes up frozen waterfalls that winter. But I will never be as fast on a bike or as strong a climber as before the accident.

 

So substantial recovery should be possible but this type of op is quite invasive and a lot of soft tissue gets disturbed in the process. It will take some time to heal, circulation to recover fully etc. Pay attention to the physio excercises they give you. I also did a bit of swimming early in recovery. Only thing that didn't hurt at the time.

Im having it done at L4/L5 which is quite an immobile joint from what i understand. Im not to worried about whether i will be able to go fast. Just missing being on the bike in general. But its good to know that back ops are not the end of the road(or trail in this case).

 

They say i will need 3 months just to recover from the wound but thats ok with me. even if it takes 1 year before i can ride again i dont mind.

 

Did you do a lot of core strengthening? if so did you have to go to biokineticist  or did you just do it yourself?

[herrowpreeze]

Disk replacement is not a fusion. A Titanium disk replace the old worn out disk and in most cases you will have full mobility of the back.

My wife had two disks replaced about 8 years ago. Started cycling about 6 months after the op and never looked back. Had a major crash the other day at Modderfontein and we were seriously worried. A scan showed no issues with disks or vertebrae just some muscle spasm. Be sure to see the absolute best as far as Neuro Surgeon is concerned and take special care with recovery process. PM me if you need more detail

Whihc doctor did the op?

[JXV]

Im having it done at L4/L5 which is quite an immobile joint from what i understand. Im not to worried about whether i will be able to go fast. Just missing being on the bike in general. But its good to know that back ops are not the end of the road(or trail in this case).

 

They say i will need 3 months just to recover from the wound but thats ok with me. even if it takes 1 year before i can ride again i dont mind.

 

Did you do a lot of core strengthening? if so did you have to go to biokineticist or did you just do it yourself?

I was a bit lazy with my physio stuff so it maybe took longer to recover than if I had been more strict about it. But I am generally quite active so that helped.