Anyone Go Through Back Surgery?

[PONYBOY]

Hey All -

Wondering if anyone here has had to undergo back surgery? After working out and continued PT looks like I'm going to need a discectomy or disk replacement in my lumbar L5S1... (Still more testing to help with decision). I'm young which is the concerning part (Turn 38 in Sept). Most likely from all the years of Division 1 sports, weights, and active life, and office..... Going to have to forego my Elk hunt this September it think.

Anyway, if you have any experience would really appreciate anything you'd like to share. Procedure, recovery, were you able to get back to active lifestyle... etc. Not the most uplifting subject, feel free to PM me.

I want to get back to posting pics of hunts! Thanks for your help/advice!

Sean

 

[Poltax]

I had a L5 discectomy in 1991. For me it has turned out very good. Back then they opened up your back. I have a 10" scar left over from the surgery. I was also layed up for 6 weeks of no sitting, no driving, ect. Now days the surgury is pretty easy on your body. I have been able to still motocross, snowmobile, road bike, Elk hunt, just about anything I want to do. I do have to be careful how I lift and what I lift. But for me I have been very lucky. I know others who have not. One is my son. He has been in 2 times and still not fixed yet.

The key is to follow all the Dr's after surgury suggestions and do all the PT to get you healed up. Strong core, excersize and stretching. I am 63 and doing well. My Dr stated that I would be back in after 10 years for anther surgury. So far I have been doing very well. Find the best Dr in your area thats the best advise I can give you.

I have been intrigued with the new disc replacement that they can do now. They also can inject a cement like product in between the joints to hold everything up like a disc. One of my buddies has had that done and is doing well.

There is life after back surgery. But you need to find the best Dr.

 

[5MilesBack]

Not yet, but after blowing something out at L5/S1 last August, two months of PT that did nothing, and constant 24/7 pain.......I could see to at least getting an MRI..........after all my hunts are over. I did a 7 hour trail ride in the wilderness that just about killed my back. No thanks, I'll hike in instead.

 

[C.payne]

I am 38 and currently 5 weeks post operation from Laminectomy ( L2,L3,L4) and Fusion surgery (L3 to L4).
I found the best surgeon in my area and went into the surgery in good shape. So far my recovery has gone great and I am way ahead of the usual milestones. I have even started light hiking and shooting my bow already.
Like said above take the recovery and rehab seriously and try not to rush getting everything back to normal. My surgeon figures by 5-6 months I should be 120% recovered (no nerve pain and better mobility than before). Only time will truly tell what the future will be like but I am very optimistic of making a full recovery.
I have had multiple back issues for over 20 years (bulging discs, fractures, nerve impingements) so I am looking forward to some relief for a while.
Best of luck. You are not alone! And I literally feel your pain! Lol

 

[westonadkins]

I was 27 when I had my L5/S1 discectomy, and it was a life changer for me. I couldn't walk for two months before I had it done. PT, injections, massage were all unsuccessful, but I woke up from surgery without leg pain. Took me a month to get back to 95%, two months to get to better than pre-op. Best of luck to you. That was the most miserable thing I've ever experienced, so I truly hope you get better!


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[n2mywake]

I've been through a lot of the same. Finally broke down and had my L5 S1 discetomy in 09. I took my PT very seriously and 12 weeks later I was elk hunting in Colorado. I do about everything I want to do but I know my limits and trying operate within those. I elk hunt every year now. I walk a ton and try to keep my core pretty strong.

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[rayporter]

monday i am talking to a surgeon. ready to slice and dice..

what questions would you ask?

 

[n2mywake]

monday i am talking to a surgeon. ready to slice and dice..

what questions would you ask?

I talked about expectations from the beginning. My plan was Colorado in the fall. They said it was doable if I did my PT. My PT was on the same page.

I ended up using an Orthopedic that specialized in repairing botched back surgeries rather than opting for the neurosurgeon that I first spoke with.

My dad has a laminectomy last spring by a neurosurgeon near where he lives and it was a great success. We elk hunted last fall and packed out a bull (he knew his limits).

Now is your time to do your research and find out who does the surgeries in your area for anyone that's in the know (other Drs, local athletes, etc)

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[PONYBOY]

Hey Guys - I really appreciate you al responding. Was pretty bummed yesterday, however your stories are picking me up! No doubt about trying to stay fit, I have some follow up procedures, I will follow up!

 

[n2mywake]

Hey Guys - I really appreciate you al responding. Was pretty bummed yesterday, however your stories are picking me up! No doubt about trying to stay fit, I have some follow up procedures, I will follow up!

Hang in there. I'm 11 years post op and I am on the treadmill every day just for elk season. I'm probably more fit at 47 than I was at 38.

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[Nickofthewoods]

Five years ago I had to have 4 Thoracic Vertebra fused from a ski accident. I also had a cervical fracture but that was non surgical. I was 29 at the time and made a full recovery. Nothing has changed for me, I have carried out my heaviest pack loads of Elk and gone on my longest backpacking trips and bike rides since then. I still ski, snowboard, mountain bike, backpack, and of course, hunt. Three months post-op I backpacked 70 miles through the Wind River Range in one week against the advice of my Surgeon and his PA. Nobody was stopping me from that trip after 90 days of bed rest. Your procedure is obviously different than mine was but you can still use your surgery as motivation to stay fit, active, and healthy afterwards and you will be fine.

Also, here is my helmet from the accident. If you Ski, snowboard, or bike, wear your helmet. I would be dead without it. I recommend Smith... Hope the blood stains in the helmet don't make any of you wimps queasy. . .

 

[TheGDog]

Hi Guys,
Wanna compare notes here with all the experiences of those of you who've had back surgeries. I sincerely believe I will now finally need some type of surgical intervention. Want to explain what is happening now and see if to you it sounds like I will likely need surgical intervention.

My two injuries at play here are as follows:

- 1995 Went over the handlebars on my DualSport. My Coccyx and Saccrum got pummeled probably about as hard as you can pummel them without them actually breaking. Ever since, I cannot lie on a flat hard surface directly. It's uncomfortable to the tailbone.

- 1997 - Moto - On a small very vertical jumping surface, the kind that launch you more upward with very little horizontal, I got too sideways and was gonna come down that way. Not wanting to drop a brand new DirtBike I extended my leg and braced for the impact of returning to the ground. It worked at righting the bike moments before landing and not crashing... but it jammed my leg like heck into hip socket.

Ever since these two things, like every time having sex happens to be missionary and the knees are spread outward like that and that type of pelvic movement, I hear/feel the grinding feelings and sounds.

I had been good about going to the Gym up until about 45yo. A shoulder I'd already had repaired was feeling like it wanted to rip on me again... and then.. while out hunting in 2015 I shattered my wrist, which required 13 screws on a plate that sorta looks like a Gillette Razor. The pain in that wrist quickly becomes "a thing" whenever ya try to push any respectable weight around. It hurt my pride and frustrated me so I stopped going to the Gym and instead just focused on hunting/scouting. Also I was noticing that on squats I was favoring now away from that one hip socket noticeably, so then started to do Deadlifts more. Than on one of em I rounded my back a little on a very heavy one. And felt that Coccyx/Saccrum injury really not like it in a strong way. So I stayed away.

FastFwd to today:
I'd already been noticing on longer hikes, especially steeper ones, that my lower back and hip area would become very hobbled. So I'd do my usual of besides the everyday Rx NSAID I take (I had rheumatic fever as a kid, so my joints aren't great, plus these injuries), adding 6x200mg Ibuprofens on the return trip out. Then... I started pestering my doc for Tylenol #3's to help deal with it so I'm choking down less pills. Now just 6 in the am, then when the pain starts to come in bad and i start feeling hobbled, take a Tylenol #3 to continue limping on back outta there.

Then this year happened. Boom Flu... then Boom Covid. It hit me hard as hell and caused a huge amount of inflammation. And with all the coughing and inflammation, when a big cough would hit, my inury area would literally want to give out underneath me! That was scary. So like Beg of April I'm finally in the clear and starting to go back out hunting/scouting. Only now... this pain is really problematic now. It hurts to sit. Like even when I'm going to a location where I can use the nice REI Flexlite Macro chair for my ambush sit... now I'm STILL in pain from the long sit afterward! At first this was happening because I was using the Tripod stool, so I chalked it up to no back support and long sit times. Also the lumbar pad on my pack.. and the way it makes me have to loosen and lower my T-Buckle pants belt REALLY aggravates my injury area, seemingly now more than ever! (it was always kind of an issue, but usually the letting the pants belt be significantly loose would help prevent the lumbar pad from grinding my pants belt across that injured area) I spent time contacting Kifaru explaining my problem and double-checking that the fitment was right. Which it seems to be. I lowered the shoulder straps as much as I could so as to help lift the lumbar pad to its highest point upward in fitment.

Speaking of long sit-times, I work from home and do Software, so that's another problematic contributing issue here.

So anyway... this year, this pain is freaking hobbling and crippling now! When I return home I'm mamed when I get outta the truck! And I continue this way for like 5 days afterward. And need to put additional cushioning on my work chair and do more leaning forward to alleviate the pain/pressure to my injury area.

Also contributing to less activity this year was the slow demise of my one dog from the cancerous tumors. Couldn't walk her like before, so Daddy also got less walking. And my other dog is tiny, and just as old as well, so she doesn't walk enough distance either. We had to put down the one Dog in June. And now the other one is presenting with the beginnings of similar tumors so surgery was scheduled, but then skin infection sites found on her so Vet injected her with long-lasting antibitotic and me rescheduled that surgery. Then a slab leak happened in the damn house. They repair, but now it seems to be having moisture coming back up thru that patched cement, so they gotta come back out and redo it. Grr.

I've got a referral to get an MRI. Then tentatively after that refs for a back specialist and PT.

So for you guys who've been there done that, does this sound sorta like your situations? Where you then noticed that pain was there all the dang time, just to varying levels?

 

[TheGDog]

Five years ago I had to have 4 Thoracic Vertebra fused from a ski accident. I also had a cervical fracture but that was non surgical. I was 29 at the time and made a full recovery. Nothing has changed for me, I have carried out my heaviest pack loads of Elk and gone on my longest backpacking trips and bike rides since then. I still ski, snowboard, mountain bike, backpack, and of course, hunt. Three months post-op I backpacked 70 miles through the Wind River Range in one week against the advice of my Surgeon and his PA. Nobody was stopping me from that trip after 90 days of bed rest. Your procedure is obviously different than mine was but you can still use your surgery as motivation to stay fit, active, and healthy afterwards and you will be fine.

Also, here is my helmet from the accident. If you Ski, snowboard, or bike, wear your helmet. I would be dead without it. I recommend Smith... Hope the blood stains in the helmet don't make any of you wimps queasy. . .

We're no stranger to going down in rocks!

 

[5MilesBack]

I do about everything I want to do but I know my limits and trying operate within those.

What kind of limitations do you have?

The neurosurgeon told me I needed a 4-level fusion in my neck four years ago. I told him I'd put it off as long as I can still fully function. I can still function and just ignore the pain for now. But the lower back thing has been more problematic with trying to do that. I'm just wondering what kind of limitations a surgery puts on you? I've never had any kind of physical limits.........which is also most likely why I'm in this situation now.......but I've been dealing with the neck and upper back issues for 30+ years.

 

[gbflyer]

Hey All -

Wondering if anyone here has had to undergo back surgery? After working out and continued PT looks like I'm going to need a discectomy or disk replacement in my lumbar L5S1... (Still more testing to help with decision). I'm young which is the concerning part (Turn 38 in Sept). Most likely from all the years of Division 1 sports, weights, and active life, and office..... Going to have to forego my Elk hunt this September it think.

Anyway, if you have any experience would really appreciate anything you'd like to share. Procedure, recovery, were you able to get back to active lifestyle... etc. Not the most uplifting subject, feel free to PM me.

I want to get back to posting pics of hunts! Thanks for your help/advice!

Sean

My experience has so far been good. Lots of good advice here. I will also offer a piece: DO NOT under any circumstances let an orthopedic surgeon near you UNLESS they are fellowship trained spinal. Otherwise it’s a neurosurgeon. Orthos are fine for knees and stuff but not spines. I’m not sure if any of those sawbone hacks still do spinal these days because of all the malpractice requirements but they sure messed a lot of people up over the years.

Best of luck to you. Don’t over do it for the first six weeks. Very important. I felt better right after surgery than I had in weeks so it’s temping to get back to normal right away. Don’t.

 

[n2mywake]

What kind of limitations do you have?

The neurosurgeon told me I needed a 4-level fusion in my neck four years ago. I told him I'd put it off as long as I can still fully function. I can still function and just ignore the pain for now. But the lower back thing has been more problematic with trying to do that. I'm just wondering what kind of limitations a surgery puts on you? I've never had any kind of physical limits.........which is also most likely why I'm in this situation now.......but I've been dealing with the neck and upper back issues for 30+ years.

It's more about changing the way I do things. I work a deal job but also have a farm. I haul hay, build fence and do whatever I need to. I made choices to stop wakeboarding and doing stuff like that. If I push it too much my back let's me know. I stay decently fit for 47 and that helps a ton.

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[n2mywake]

My experience has so far been good. Lots of good advice here. I will also offer a piece: DO NOT under any circumstances let an orthopedic surgeon near you UNLESS they are fellowship trained spinal. Otherwise it’s a neurosurgeon. Orthos are fine for knees and stuff but not spines. I’m not sure if any of those sawbone hacks still do spinal these days because of all the malpractice requirements but they sure messed a lot of people up over the years.

Best of luck to you. Don’t over do it for the first six weeks. Very important. I felt better right after surgery than I had in weeks so it’s temping to get back to normal right away. Don’t.

Good advice here. I opted for an ortho in my area who was well known for fixing people after unsuccessful surgeries. A family friend that is a retired neuro and lawyer recommended....

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[SDHNTR]

25 yr back pain sufferer here. If I was in severe pain and if it would work for my condition, I’d do a microdiscectomy or Laminectomy/laminotomy in a heartbeat. Fairly minor surgery these days.

But fusion is another matter, and permanent. Think long and hard about that one, and it should probably be considered a last resort as fusions can create a domino effect of adjacent disk wear.

And before you go under the knife period, exhaust all options for PT, core building, flexibility, weight loss and lifestyle changes first. Most disk bulges and minor herniations will get better on their own with proper care and time.

Read the Foundation by Peter Park and Eric Goodman.

 

[C.payne]

25 yr back pain sufferer here. If I was in severe pain and if it would work for my condition, I’d do a microdiscectomy or Laminectomy/laminotomy in a heartbeat. Fairly minor surgery these days.

But fusion is another matter, and permanent. Think long and hard about that one, and it should probably be considered a last resort as fusions can create a domino effect of adjacent disk wear.

And before you go under the knife period, exhaust all options for PT, core building, flexibility, weight loss and lifestyle changes first. Most disk bulges and minor herniations will get better on their own with proper care and time.

Read the Foundation by Peter Park and Eric Goodman.

I agree with this 100%. I had fractured vertebrae's and bulging discs a few times through my 20 years of major back problems. I was always able to PT them myself and get better. Mind you I have always stayed fit and very active and I agree that is very important.
Fusion surgery had been suggested to me when I was in my mid twenties and I held off as long as possible knowing the possible issues that fusions can cause on the surrounding vertebrae. It wasn’t until my always problematic L3 let go and caused a bi-lateral stenosis causing major nerve pain forced me to finally have it fused.

 

[TheGDog]

So serious question I've been curious about, re getting fused. how does it affect your ability to clean yourself out back after passing solid wastes? What should people know in regards to that specific topic in terms of changes that may take place?