| Author | Message | ||
     Mrd |
I know this isn't WebMD, but I was just wondering if any other Badwebbers have gone through this. I have a herniated disc (T8) and have already been through the medication and therapy treatment to no avail. I will most likely have to have surgery and wanted to know from others who have been through it how long I should expect to be laid up and off two wheels. I took the bike of the road tonight due to safety issues (numbess and weakness in the left arm/shoulder). I will be driving in a cage until I get through this. Any input and advice would be greatly appreciated. Looking forward to getting back on two wheels. | ||
| Newbuellertoo |
Me too. C6 disc & add numb fingers of the left hand to the arm and shoulder. Anybody suffered from this or the above T8 from MRD? | ||
| Speedfreaks101 |
I have 3 bulging discs and I went through multiple injections, physical therapy , chiropractic manipulation, etc. All I wanted was to be able to ride without pain. What I did find that worked though were a combination of weight loss , sit ups and back extensions. I know that your situation is worse since your disc is ruptured, but when ever you are in good enough shape to use this piece of equipment then I would highly suggest it. http://www.bodygearfitness.com//products/bg263f.as px This is absolutely the best thing that I have bought for my bike! After my weight loss and workout regimen I have not had any issues for over a year with my back. BTW I am not a pill person but I have found that Naproxen Sodium (Aleve) is the best for reducing inflammation off all the stuff out there, since that seems to be what causes most of the pain (and numbness due to swelling). | ||
| Iamarchangel |
Me, I'd wait until my chiropractor says I need surgery. BTW, my dad was a surgeon. When it comes to necks and backs, I don't think doctors know as much as a good chiropractor. People I know who have had back surgery are never really whole afterwards. I'd hold off as long as I could. Respectfully, you're going to know your body better than I would. Go with your instincts. | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
My wife had a herniated disc right between the lumbar and sacral region. Chiropractor couldn't help and recommended surgery. She was bed ridden for 2 weeks until surgery was scheduled. She couldn't walk. Immediately after surgery she walked out of the hospital and went for a 3 mile walk the next day. While she was laid up I bought her a 1150R Beemer, and 3 weeks later she was riding it. Today she is focusing on being healthy and strengthening her core muscles. Do your homework, ask the nurses about your surgeon's reputation, get a second opinion, and resign yourself to the fact that surgery may be a necessity. | ||
| Pook |
I had ruptured L5-S1 and crushed L4-L5. Extreme pain down one leg, ridiculopathy (? spelling - strength disparity caused by injuries impact to spinal cord). Finally did two surgeries rather than go through life on meds. That and a really good fitness regime (crossfit.com) has reduced pain by 80-90% and given me my lifestyle back. Professionally, I am back on jump status (paratrooper) and have been able to do several deployments again with all the running around in body armor. All that being said, even the surgeon was conservative and could not promise the results that I have seen. I attribute some of it to the surgery and a some of it to fitness level. Either way had a great doctor at Walter Reed, despite all the negative hype about them. | ||
| Tommy5144 |
I herniated my L4 and I just went through a lot of physical therapy. Its a lot better now, before when i would SNEEZE i would literally collapse in pain. But the only issue i have now is i can't ride sports bikes like R1's and stuff because I can't be bent over like that. | ||
| Etennuly |
I crushed L5-S1 seventeen years ago. The disc matter pinched the spinal chord in half and it was debilitating. Aside from the pain I couldn't walk more than a couple hundred feet and couldn't sit, stand, or lie down for more than a five minutes at a time.(I didn't sleep much, and the pain meds didn't work) I had a great chiropractor who looked me in the eyes one day and said "I cannot fix this." I got lucky and had the surgeon used by the NFL guys in Tampa. The pain was reduced from a constant 9+ to a 4 the day of the surgery. I was off work for a couple of years. I ended up doing two years of college and became self employed because I couldn't return to work. I didn't get back to riding a bike for almost ten years because of the instability in my legs. It was almost funny to me that when I started riding again it was the best therapy I had come across. It just happens to hold my lower back in a position that opens up the area that was injured and allows the rest of my back to be in a neutral position that does not get uncomfortable. It is amazing to me that most of the annoying back problems that have literally gone away, you know, the shooting pain down the legs to the middle of the foot, the cramping of uncontrollable muscles, the taught and painful hamstring tightness, and the shooting hip pain. The Uly and the City-X before it have been my best therapy. The long term back issues are still with me though. Limitations on lifting or carrying things over twenty pounds, twisting wrong, moving too fast. I don't know how much is psychological or not, but if my back is sore I can ride for a while and it will loosen up, making life tolerable again without the use of pain medication. That matters to me. Good luck with that. We low back guys don't have the control issues higher up the trunk that you do. Take your time with the recovery, change your schedules, your body will let you know how far to go and when. | ||
| Nyeguy |
Just went through this last spring and summer! T4,5,6. Pain and numbness down right arm and shoulder! Weakness in right tricep still to this day but it is getting better every day! It takes a while be for everything seems to get better. BE PATIENT and keep doing physical therapy and excercise! Things hurt the worse for me when i was riding! Sitting down was no picnic either! Dr. told me "dont piss it off" another words if sitting hurts for you DONT DO IT! Inflaming things is not the way to take pressure off you nerves! Good luck andI feel for you! Was able to start riding late summer and still excercise and do my stretches the dr. gave me!! | ||
| Eicas |
Man I feel for you, I am 63 now and when I was 36 I had a real bad back injury changing a generator on a DC-10. I have been living with various degrees of pain and discomfort for over a quarter of a century now. Solution for me was a combination of family support, my attitude, chiropractics, physical therapy, rest, patience, and lots of vitamin C and pain killers. There are days when I can't do much, I accept that and make the best of the good days that I have, but I am still riding, just not as much or as aggressively as I would like to. With bikes, cars, chairs, etc. I find seating position is important. Take it easy, analyze and see what works for you, take it slow and think positive and you will be OK. Just accept that there are some things that you should not do, and be very patient. Time works in your favor. Good luck. | ||
| Newbuellertoo |
Although I will never tell the wife, I think the bike is part of the problem. My left hand would start going numb after about 30 minutes in the saddle. Never a problem with my right side. I just can't seem to find a comfortable position on the bike. Lots of time to work on the condition over the winter. | ||
| Thatman |
Man I really feel for you guys. Just generally, and I am asking for general info, but how did you injure you back? Lifting, falling? I hope you heal up quick and get back to riding. I just got my 12r and can't stand to be away from it for more than 8 hrs. I keep her in my living room so I can look at and sit on her when I am not riding. | ||
| Carbonbigfoot |
Find a good chiropractor, see if he can help, take it easy and don't reinjure, and exhaust all other options before they cut you. Best of luck, and keep up a positive attitude! R | ||
| Bombardier |
I have a degenerated vertabrae( crumbling spine)in my lower back( not sure of the number/letter ). The best thing is one of those oversized rubber balls. You sit on this thing and balance and it builds up the core muscles in your abdomen and lower back. Bloody magic!!!! Will hurt a little at first but the end result is excellent. | ||
| Mesa_cityx |
Back stretching machine.... drx 9000 or something like that. only thing that worked for my wife.. good luck | ||
| Blackdog |
I had the same problem about 20 years ago and elected to have the surgery. I got instant relief and I highly recommend this procedure. I'm almost 60 now and I can handle the aggressive seating of the XB12R no problem. | ||
| Teddagreek |
I have bulging disks from an wreck... I did therapy.. Only after seeing a Chiropractor did I start to feel better.. Took me a few times to find one I liked, Not to keen on hippy/New age types... I'd do the surgery even with proper rehab herniated disks almost never heal them selves.. Good Luck... | ||
| Mrd |
"Man I really feel for you guys. Just generally, and I am asking for general info, but how did you injure you back? Lifting, falling?" I was in a car accident about ten years ago. The only thing that gave me a problem at that time was my neck and right shoulder. Every now and then I would feel some pain in my back but never paid any real attention to it until about two months ago when it became excruciating. I tried the medication/therapy but that did not help. Hoping surgery will help and then I'll look into one of the pieces of exercise equipment that others} talked about on this thread. Thanks for all the info. I'll keep you guys updated. | ||
| Fastxb12r |
well I first had a ruptured disk in L4/L5 and had surgery after 6 months of rehab I have never felt better.Mine was so bad I was dragging my left leg and was loseing the use of it due to cutting the nerves from not getting surgery when I should of .So if you have chronic numbness dont waste time get it fixed.After that I had a motorcycle accident and broke/fractured a vertebrea in my neck C1/C2 and after 6 months of rehab I am up and riding again with minimal pain.  | ||
| P3newbie |
mrd- how did you injure t8? it sucks to be injured. been there done that, that's why i do what i do. i looked at your profile and see that you're in naples. i know 2 guys who are chiropractors in the tampa area, drop me a pm if that's near you. as a chiropractor, this is what i tell my patients- i will do everything i can from the most conservative getting progressively more aggressive until there is no other option but surgery. once you're cut there's no going back. this is not medical advice, but i treat everyone as if they were my sister, mother, brother, or father because most are to someone. | ||
| Ourdee |
Core strength is the secret to most activity. Makes arms and legs more efficient when the platform their attached to is strong (able to be made stiff), just like the gas tank frame. Another exercise for core strength is starting from being on your hands and knees; lift one hand and opposite side knee/leg a couple of inches off the ground, hold for 30 to 60 seconds, alternate legs and hands. Do for 5 to 10 minutes every day. Every morning I do a full set of stretches prior to getting dressed. It has made a big difference in my life. My med. probs are heart disease (congestive heart failure 8 yrs ago), Gout, Arthritis, and being fat. Talk to your doc about an insurance paid for therapist, and definitely see a chiropractor (chiro can help with pain,did for me). Some insurance will pay for chiropractors,check yours.    (Message edited by OurDee on December 08, 2008) | ||
| Borrowedbike |
We'll Ive never been to a Chiropractor, but I have done Acupuncture, and I SWEAR by it. Try it. It's the only thing that makes a difference for me when my back acts up. I was 23 when I went under the knife. I was in the service and injured C5C6 and C6C7. Did months of physical therapy and was in pain for over six months. After a PT session things got really bad. Lost most of the feeling in my pinkie finger and the one next to it in the left arm, and the pain was unbearable. A CT showed C6C7 was bulging into the spinal cord and I was not given a choice, 36 hours later I was on the table. I was given the choice, Take C5C6 now, and have one really long vertabre, or leave it and deal with it until it got worse. Given that the larger bone under it was going to apply more pressure on C5C6 moving on, either way was another operation sometime down the road. Cut to today. I have occasional back pain. C5C6 stayed in and sometimes it F's with me. An hour on the table with the needles in me and I'm right as rain. Best of luck. Bad Backs SUCK. | ||
| Trac95ker |
I have degenerative disc disease and have been dealing with it since 2002. For me, surgery is not the answer because most of my discs are out of shape. What I have found is that stretching and excercise definetly help. i recently found out I was magnesium deficient. That was huge!!! taking magnesium everyday got rid of muscle cramping and spasms. The muscle issue would mess up my alignment and confine me to bed or the couch for days to months.... yeah months. The mag helped out with this but I still go out of alignment. Not as often or as long. i am now taking a shitload of suppliments, to many to list. I am putting my faith into that since the medical field can't do anythig for me except prescribe drugs. I keep them handy but don't need them on a regular basis. The other thing that helps tremendously is ice. Take a medical ice pack or a bag of corn or peas and apply over a t-shirt for 20 to 30 mins. It can be painful but goes numb after that. Try that as much as you want. 20 mins off before reapplying. I can't remember if you tried physical therapy. I've been typing to long. A Cortizone shot helped early on for about ayear but the second and third didn't. D on't overdue this because it is bad. I did have a nucleoplasty done recently. It didn't help for me but may work for you. Thehigh frquency RF wand is the latest tool taht some say improves the procedure. If you were to get fusion, you would have nothing to loose because they would remove the disc anyway. The procedure does not burn any bridges either. Also their is a company called Spinewave. They inject a protein polymer into the disc attached with stem cells or whatever. If you can hold out, that would be the best thing because they rebuild your disc. It wouldn't work for me because I have to many bad discs. I would hold out as long as possible if you can. There is a lot of new tech on the horizon. Have you been on any back pain forums? some good info to be had. Good luck, I know it sucks and is life altering for some. Keep us posted. ( done venting, that felt good.) | ||
| Mrd |
Had a nerve test (EMG) on Thursday. They found that I also have some minor nerve damage in my left hand. They don't know what it is from. I took the bike out for a little spin this week and it felt good to ride again. | ||
| Iamarchangel |
Quick comment on ice: one of the best therapies out there (although I believe more in heat for the neck and spine). Most "officials" set you up for 10 minutes of ice. The above post said 20, that's better. NHL, NFL, pros do 20 minute cycles. That's how they get back in the game so quick. 20 minutes of ice then 20 of heat then 20 of ice and so on. The reasons are all good and more detailed than here. (This is actually my University degree.) My own experience (two different motorcycle impact injuries) has me do the sequence with heat first (heat/normal, heat, normal). Cold does not usually help my back. If you're going to try this for the first time go with ice first, that's usually recommended (place usual disclaimer here). Remember, you're usually just managing a back injury, it seldom ever goes away. | ||
| Hootowl |
"Cut to today. I have occasional back pain." This is coming from a guy that broke three ribs in a ski incident and finished the day anyway. Note that I say "incident" and not "accident". There was no crash involved, just a violent landing followed by a miraculous recovery. I'm paraphrasing, but the ride home when something like this: "Jeff, I can't breathe." "Yeah, I'm tuckered out too." "No you idiot, I can't breathe". | ||
| Iamarchangel |
Had a bad race day many years ago, in practice I crashed into a post and the visor was pushed down on to my nose. Left it red and out of line. It's been broken so many times, it moves around pretty easily. I usually just pull it straight. At the start of my race, I went down and was hit, spread-eagled, in the tailbone. I was out cold and came to as the last bike came off the track. I got myself up, and my brother was helping me stand. The ambulance guy came up, and without asking about my back, grabbed my nose. He said it looks broken and started twisting it. Went to emerg, same thing. Twist my nose first. Finally saw a doctor. He twisted my nose. My brother was really cracking up by now. Tailbone was broken but doctor was old school. Hurt yourself on a motorcycle? Tough. | ||
| K3xb |
I herniated L4-L5 in 1998. I couldn't sit, stand or lie down. My life was a living hell. It was an OJI, so the insurance was screwing around and letting me suffer in the hope that I'd go away or something. Pain pills wouldn't even touch the pain. Eventually, I went on a 60 day whiskey bender. I drank until I passed out and when I woke up, I took a pee and then drank until I passed out. That routine got me through the last two months before surgery. The operation was a near instant cure for the debilitating pain. I still hurt more than most people could easily tolerate, but it was like a mild sunburn compared to what I'd had before the microsurgery. It took me about a month to get back to work and run the same damn jackhammer that had broken me. It took a year before I could do anything after a workday besides go to bed. (Keep in mind that I'm employed in Public Works, essentially making me a jack of all trades construction worker. That's a physically demanding job for sure.) I will never be pain free. That's OK though. Before surgery, I thought my life was over. I was looking at trike kits and college classes to train for a desk job. Two months after surgery I was riding again. A year after, I'd bought a sport bike. Then I went racing. Minus that disc, I've won 8 championships and taken a top five at Daytona in the CCS championship. Get the surgery. Without it, you'll never enjoy anything again. With it you'll still have some pain but you'll also have mobility. Your life is far from over. All my proudest achievements have come along since my surgery. | ||
| K3xb |
BTW, chiropractic is a gift from God. I got that surgery because I had a herniation which had to be removed. For anything short of that, chiropractic is the best medicine in the world. It's totally non-invasive and balances your skeleton from head to toe. As my chiropractor says, "You're only as fast as your slowest limb." You can walk in like Frankenstein and leap out like Jackie Chan. It's literally unbelievable. | ||
| Ourdee |
I stopped at a light in a little cage. Then a lady on her cell phone parked her cage under mine at 45+ mph. Broke the back of my seat. But thankfully the 2 cars in front kept me out of any more moving traffic. I got out to see if the lady was OK, I had to wait for her to put down her index finger and finish the phone call. Then she asked me did you stop real fast. No, I was sitting at this red light when I saw you coming up at full speed and not braking. Took over a year for a settlement, Back still isn't 100% The only relief I had that year was at the chiropractor. And that electric mat on the back machine at 100% would make it quit hurting for an hour. The other miracle cure I found later was Doan's Pills. Stretching and core strengthening help a lot. The insurance company picked up the tab for that too. My thought is find competent professionals and have them teach you. If they wont or can't teach you, find another one. | ||
| Stevedplumber |
degenerative disc disease. lower back pain last 15+ yrs spinal fusion this past october 7th fused L3 to S1 8 screws 3 spacers(discs) 2 rods no more vertebrae grinding when i walk-priceless used two broken tabs off two different vertebrae to make the fusion back to my desk job november 17 just dealing with muscle discomfort now. but even that has subsided considerably over the past few weeks. surgery was the right decision for me. Plus now i think i am an inch taller. lol! (Message edited by stevedplumber on December 29, 2008) |
