Back surgery anyone?
- Thread starter L Sass
- Start date
fox2star
Cathlete
Hi,
I had a ruptured disk, (L5 S1) and had it repaired with microdisectomy (sp?) about 13 years ago. it was an outpatient surgery, took 30 minutes, and about 2 weeks where I had to be very careful, returned to work after 4 weeks, ( could have probably gone back sooner, but the surgeon didn't want to take any chances).
I suffered with pain 24/7 for 10 months before getting in for this surgery, and it was the best decision I ever made. Have been fine ever since.
I had a ruptured disk, (L5 S1) and had it repaired with microdisectomy (sp?) about 13 years ago. it was an outpatient surgery, took 30 minutes, and about 2 weeks where I had to be very careful, returned to work after 4 weeks, ( could have probably gone back sooner, but the surgeon didn't want to take any chances).
I suffered with pain 24/7 for 10 months before getting in for this surgery, and it was the best decision I ever made. Have been fine ever since.
IslandRose
Cathlete
Hi Lorrie. Been there. I'm a little bit short on time right now, but I will post a link to my story. I posted it on a reply about Back Pain last year. http://cathe.com/forum/f95/back-pain-292311/index2.html#post2198277
To answer your questions,
1. I don't remember going to the PT as regularly as I did post surgery. Maybe twice a month until my flexibility was restored. I could literally walk upstairs the next day after surgery. That same week I was walking and eventually doing water aerobics and yoga for exercise. But everybody is different. It usually takes 2-4 weeks to recover if the person is healthy, but it could take more or less. Every body is different.
2. Post rehab I had to modify a lot. I would say I did only low impact for 3-4 months. When it came to weight training there were a lot of exercises I couldn't do: squats, deadlifts, lunges, torso twists, and pretty much any heavy weight lifting for the upper body, i.e Before surgery I could do overhead presses with heavy dumbbells, after surgery I couldn't, not because I lost my strength, but because the back is used to stabilize and I could've hurt myself.
Any questions you have let me know. I'll get back to you later. Take care.
L Sass
Cathlete
Warning - LONG!
Here’s my deal. I’m 50 years old.
About 5 years ago I started working with a personal trainer who believed in lifting heavy. So I really wanted to train with her and see if I could re-shape my body.
Near the base of my spine (vicinity of L5-S1) I have a ‘bump.’ It’s not really painful, but is irritating when I lie down to do abs – feels like I’m lying on a rock.
Since I wanted to lift heavy but was a little concerned about the bump I went to my orthopedist sport med doc. Told him what I wanted to do but that I wanted to be safe. He took X-rays and then asked how much pain I was in. Ummm – none. He told me I was either lying or had a very high pain threshold. Asked me to bend forward and back, etc.
At that time – he advised I had a slipped and collapsed disc and that most who have this condition can’t make it beyond an hour of their day without crying in pain. I really didn’t have any, and after seeing me move he believed me.
Doc told me I could lift heavy so long as I promised to call immediately if I EVER had immediate numbness in one/both legs, or lost control of bowels or bladder. I promised. Neither of those things has ever occurred.
I proceeded to train moderately heavy. My deadlifts maxed out at 265. My squats maxed out at 200. My walking lunges 125.
About 3 years ago I began to have a lot of tightness in my hip flexors. At one point it was pretty bad so I went back to this doc. They advised that I’d likely torn my hip flexor, so I took some down time, did phys therapy, etc.
It has gotten better, but still not good. It’s very tolerable, but I call it one of my tweakies. I do foam roll, some stretching – though granted not as much as I should.
About 8-9 months ago, I started to have real discomfort in my left glute/ham tie-in. Thought it was (is?) tendonitis. Between the tight hip flexors and the owie glute/ham, my ROM and my lifts were pretty diminished.
About 6 months ago, my dad began to deteriorate health wise and since then has been hospitalized on and off very frequently. I found that I’d need to cancel sessions with my trainer more and more, so finally stopped with her – to allow her to fill her spots (she’s in high demand.)
During these 6 months, my back ‘bump’ has become increasingly more uncomfortable, mostly at night. It takes me some time to get comfortable to fall asleep. But other than that, really no pain.
I finally thought it’s time to see if that discomfort, the hip flexor tightness, and the tweaky glute/ham are all connected.
Called a chiropractor who also has a muscle manipulation specialist and an MD on his staff – though the MD is more for guidance, doesn’t really practice medicine there.
I had an MRI last week and followed up this week. They politely escorted me out the door as quickly as possible, and referred me to a surgeon. I have an appointment Tuesday, though the chiro felt that even that is too far away. But since he’s not an MD, the medical system doesn’t give him a lot of credibility. Not sure if I should or not.
So that’s my very long-winded way of saying it appears I need surgery, not sure what to expect, and UGH!
I'll try to post a pic.
Thanks for all of your guidance. I really appreciate it all.
Here’s my deal. I’m 50 years old.
About 5 years ago I started working with a personal trainer who believed in lifting heavy. So I really wanted to train with her and see if I could re-shape my body.
Near the base of my spine (vicinity of L5-S1) I have a ‘bump.’ It’s not really painful, but is irritating when I lie down to do abs – feels like I’m lying on a rock.
Since I wanted to lift heavy but was a little concerned about the bump I went to my orthopedist sport med doc. Told him what I wanted to do but that I wanted to be safe. He took X-rays and then asked how much pain I was in. Ummm – none. He told me I was either lying or had a very high pain threshold. Asked me to bend forward and back, etc.
At that time – he advised I had a slipped and collapsed disc and that most who have this condition can’t make it beyond an hour of their day without crying in pain. I really didn’t have any, and after seeing me move he believed me.
Doc told me I could lift heavy so long as I promised to call immediately if I EVER had immediate numbness in one/both legs, or lost control of bowels or bladder. I promised. Neither of those things has ever occurred.
I proceeded to train moderately heavy. My deadlifts maxed out at 265. My squats maxed out at 200. My walking lunges 125.
About 3 years ago I began to have a lot of tightness in my hip flexors. At one point it was pretty bad so I went back to this doc. They advised that I’d likely torn my hip flexor, so I took some down time, did phys therapy, etc.
It has gotten better, but still not good. It’s very tolerable, but I call it one of my tweakies. I do foam roll, some stretching – though granted not as much as I should.
About 8-9 months ago, I started to have real discomfort in my left glute/ham tie-in. Thought it was (is?) tendonitis. Between the tight hip flexors and the owie glute/ham, my ROM and my lifts were pretty diminished.
About 6 months ago, my dad began to deteriorate health wise and since then has been hospitalized on and off very frequently. I found that I’d need to cancel sessions with my trainer more and more, so finally stopped with her – to allow her to fill her spots (she’s in high demand.)
During these 6 months, my back ‘bump’ has become increasingly more uncomfortable, mostly at night. It takes me some time to get comfortable to fall asleep. But other than that, really no pain.
I finally thought it’s time to see if that discomfort, the hip flexor tightness, and the tweaky glute/ham are all connected.
Called a chiropractor who also has a muscle manipulation specialist and an MD on his staff – though the MD is more for guidance, doesn’t really practice medicine there.
I had an MRI last week and followed up this week. They politely escorted me out the door as quickly as possible, and referred me to a surgeon. I have an appointment Tuesday, though the chiro felt that even that is too far away. But since he’s not an MD, the medical system doesn’t give him a lot of credibility. Not sure if I should or not.
So that’s my very long-winded way of saying it appears I need surgery, not sure what to expect, and UGH!
I'll try to post a pic.
Thanks for all of your guidance. I really appreciate it all.
IslandRose
Cathlete
Lorrie. Wow! You are super woman. Amazing strength. Those weights you listed are not moderately heavy for the average woman, they are really heavy. Any L(number) or S(number) injury will most likely reflect on your legs like your doctor told you, but given the fact that you have an insane amount of strength and muscle mass in your lower body, that is probably why you did not feel the amount of pain that the average person would've felt in the same situation. Before surgery I could squat about 180-200lbs but I never tried that with deadlifts. I would've never gone that heavy for deadlifts (my surgeon told me that deadlifts keep his family well fed so he warned me to be very careful), lunges in the Smith machine I could go over 100lbs easily, but never with free weights. I could go 280-300 lbs in the leg press machine back then. Heh! Those were the days. All that was before surgery and before I had any sort of pain. After surgery I gave up on heavy weights. I lift heavier than most women, but not as heavy as I used to. I'm not sure if I would ever reach that level again, but I have found other ways to train my body that allow me to gain flexibility and train my muscles at the same time without lifting as heavy as I did a couple of years ago. It is still too early to say if you need surgery. You need to see the surgeon first and probably get a second and third opinion if they tell you surgery is the only option. I wish you the best and don't worry these procedures are very common, in case surgery is your only option, there's nothing to be scared about. Take care and again any questions you have I'd be glad to help you any way that I can.
SteppingFool
Cathlete
I'm going to see the doc... thanks to you. Have been having this low back pain for 9 months. It really does not bother me except at night when I try to roll over. Sounds like arthritis, but I don't think it is. I can live with this pain, just do not want it to get worse...
L Sass
Cathlete
Definitely go SteppingFool!
I met with a surgeon today and it was the BEST thing I could have done. What did I learn? Apparently I'm in a somewhat elite club. My back is broken. Literally and technically, broken. He showed me where the bones are sheared. I should NOT be able to walk and should have pain up and down my legs. I can walk. I don't have pain. I'm incredibly lucky because the nerves have not been severed by this break.
But, as IslandRose said, my deadlifting days are basically done. Squats he totally advised against because he doesn't like putting weight atop the spine. But he said he tells all of his patients that - not just the ones with broken backs (which, in his practice is just me - HA!)
A rather sad commentary - as a new patient I had to provide all my current meds. I gave him a list of all of my supplements. He told me he can count on one hand the number of 50-year old patients he has who don't take any prescriptive medications. He also told me that the reason I feel this 'bump' sticking out of my back is because I don't have 5 inches of fat covering my spinal cord. So all of these things together put me into that elite club. While it's not really my favorite, and I kind of wish I could keep pulling the heavy lifts, I'll appreciate the fact that I can keep doing what I can do.
For now, I'm loving Pilates (on a reformer) and am about to learn the perks of aqua training - which I've never tried. So it's all good, yes? We push what we can with what we have and appreciate every opportunity.
So let us know what you find out. Good luck!
I met with a surgeon today and it was the BEST thing I could have done. What did I learn? Apparently I'm in a somewhat elite club. My back is broken. Literally and technically, broken. He showed me where the bones are sheared. I should NOT be able to walk and should have pain up and down my legs. I can walk. I don't have pain. I'm incredibly lucky because the nerves have not been severed by this break.
But, as IslandRose said, my deadlifting days are basically done. Squats he totally advised against because he doesn't like putting weight atop the spine. But he said he tells all of his patients that - not just the ones with broken backs (which, in his practice is just me - HA!)
A rather sad commentary - as a new patient I had to provide all my current meds. I gave him a list of all of my supplements. He told me he can count on one hand the number of 50-year old patients he has who don't take any prescriptive medications. He also told me that the reason I feel this 'bump' sticking out of my back is because I don't have 5 inches of fat covering my spinal cord. So all of these things together put me into that elite club. While it's not really my favorite, and I kind of wish I could keep pulling the heavy lifts, I'll appreciate the fact that I can keep doing what I can do.
For now, I'm loving Pilates (on a reformer) and am about to learn the perks of aqua training - which I've never tried. So it's all good, yes? We push what we can with what we have and appreciate every opportunity.
So let us know what you find out. Good luck!
IslandRose
Cathlete
Hi Lorrie. Wow! A broken back and zero pain. Bad news and good news at the same time I guess. Are you getting surgery any time soon? I got surgery when I literally couldn't walk, sit, stand up, and sleep normally. As far as deadlifts, pretty much all doctors are against them. I do them once in a blue moon, but I use lighter weights and concentrate on my form, I also started to do them again about 6 months after I had my surgery. I was told not to do squats either for months and then start really slow. I will never be able to lift as I did before, but it is okay. I still can do a lot of things to train my body, a lot of things that the average woman can't do like a couple of sets of push ups on my toes, for example.
Pilates on a reformer is awesome, I don't have a studio nearby, but I would go in a heartbeat if I had that opportunity. It's a different challenge, you can maintain your muscle tone with just your body weight and the reformer's resistance. I also love yoga, but there are a lot of poses that can put strain on your back, so if that is not your area of expertise (I have been practicing since the 90's and still don't consider myself an expert) I would advise against it, unless it's yoga for relaxation practice where the poses are child pose, etc. And I have to say aqua training is great. I hope you can find it as fun as I did. I could do anything in the pool: jogging, kickboxing, core work, spinning, even weights. I had a great trainer. I unfortunately don't have time for those classes anymore, but I sure miss them.
Sometimes our bodies give us warning signs, we have to try and preserve our bones, tendons, and ligaments so they keep us standing and active when we become "seniors". I like to think that I'll live to be at least 90 years old so I really have to preserve my cushions
. Sure there are surgeons that can replace them, but we have to take care of ourselves and make surgery the last option. If anything, maybe learning to love other types of training is good for our bodies and our brains as well. Doing the same things all the time make us prone to overuse injuries, in addition our bodies take a longer time to give us visible results when we do the same things. I hope you enjoy your new training challenges. Please, take good care of yourself.
L Sass
Cathlete
No surgery for me. Doc says it he could not and would not in good conscience do surgery on someone who has no pain and can still function. When I saw the chiroprator last week who threw me out of his office he was telling me I needed surgery asap. The surgeon y'day advised that was propbably because he only went by the words and pics - not the person. Interesting.
I completely agree IslandRose with all you say about preserving our pieces parts. Gotta' do what we can so we can keep going! Your insight is unvaluable. Thanks SO much for sharing your experience.
I completely agree IslandRose with all you say about preserving our pieces parts. Gotta' do what we can so we can keep going! Your insight is unvaluable. Thanks SO much for sharing your experience.
IslandRose
Cathlete
You're welcome! Oh wow, I bet you feel a little less anxious after knowing you don't need surgery. What a relief! I am so glad you found a good surgeon that is responsible enough to decide against it. Now you really have to take good care of your lower back in order to avoid surgery in the future. You're already doing the right steps. Again, no surgery, those are awesome news!
catgirl
Cathlete
Back pain is really different for everyone. I have had more than my fair share. I have also suffered from a lower broken back (due to an accident in my teens). For my broken back, I did not have surgery. However, I had to wear a back brace (think like an old fashioned corset with steel supports) for months on end. I had to be on a very limited schedule during this time where I was almost on bed rest. This was to allow the bones to knit. Of course, paralysis was a very real concern.
That healed up, but then later in life I suffered from two major herniated discs. Both caused sciatica (severe) in my right leg. I lost most of the nerves and a great deal of muscle in that leg. I had two separate back surgeries for the discs (first L5/S1 and then a year later L4/L5). It was so bad that they refused to operate on both at the same time. The first surgery (L5/S1) I was out for a long time due to complications of the myelogram procedure that they did before the surgery. The second surgery went smoother. Both were hospital visits as the herniation was severe. I was out of work for 6 weeks full time, and then for the next month I was allowed to go to work for 4 hours a day. Both surgeries I was in physical rehab for around three months. My last surgery was now 13 years ago, and I still have to modify my routine as needed. I just learned that I have to listen to my body and only do what my lower back can handle and what my right leg can support.
I hope you continue to feel good. Did the doctor tell you you would benefit from any kind of support brace?
That healed up, but then later in life I suffered from two major herniated discs. Both caused sciatica (severe) in my right leg. I lost most of the nerves and a great deal of muscle in that leg. I had two separate back surgeries for the discs (first L5/S1 and then a year later L4/L5). It was so bad that they refused to operate on both at the same time. The first surgery (L5/S1) I was out for a long time due to complications of the myelogram procedure that they did before the surgery. The second surgery went smoother. Both were hospital visits as the herniation was severe. I was out of work for 6 weeks full time, and then for the next month I was allowed to go to work for 4 hours a day. Both surgeries I was in physical rehab for around three months. My last surgery was now 13 years ago, and I still have to modify my routine as needed. I just learned that I have to listen to my body and only do what my lower back can handle and what my right leg can support.
I hope you continue to feel good. Did the doctor tell you you would benefit from any kind of support brace?
IslandRose
Cathlete
I had to wear a brace after my surgery for a couple of months. I did not use it to go to the gym or while sleeping, but for everything else. Then I when I got stronger and was back to normal, my doctor told me to stop using it because my body was going to get used to the brace and I needed my core to be strong on its own and not depend on the support of the brace anymore. It helped me with my healing process for sure, but I spent the money, used it for several months, and never used it again.