BACK SURGERY AND SAIL ??

[rupertfb]

You have to deal with the problem, not mask it with drugs.... of any sort

I was almost immobile
I had fusion between L5 and S1 13yrs ago.
Now a professional sailboat Delivery skipper constantly lifting, twisting, sleeping on bad beds etc
Age 61. Fit as a fiddle
No issues. No pain.

Get it done, it'll change your life!

Rupert

[Seabeau]

I also have a damaged disc. To me, a far easier and simpler solution, was to visit a pain management specialist. After a series of exploratory injections, with local anesthesia, to pinpoint the nerves involved, the doctor then burned those nerves into. I have slightly less ability to bend at the L4-L5 junction but, after 10 years, I am still pain free, although the doctors, did say that the nerves can repair themselves after a certain period of time.

[conchaway]

I had 3 vertebra and two discs in my neck replaced 3 weeks ago. Don't plan on anything except walking around your property for at LEAST six weeks. Then, you'll have to exercise all your muscles to regain your strength.

[CarinaPDX]

Any surgery on your discs will weaken the back and leave scar tissue, and has the potential for outcomes that are worse than the condition now. Surgery is what you do after trying everything else. So first exhaust the options, then get a second or third opinion, from a non-surgical back specialist. (No surprises: surgeons recommend surgery far more often than internists.)

If you haven't done so, see a physical therapist - they can make all of the difference. By learning to incorporate the correct muscles for certain motions the back will be better supported and less likely to be a problem. Stop running and jogging!!!! Running was a big part of my back's deterioration prior to surgery. Anything that puts impacts on the spine should be avoided. Bicycling and swimming are much better for you, and even walking is better.

I had back surgery in 1981, at a time when it was the standard of care. I was lucky and it relieved the pain, but cost me a month of work. It also left scar tissue and a weakened back. In 1997 the adjacent disc acted up, while I was in England, and I was in the hospital for 2 weeks. The pain finally went away after an epidural of steroid and anesthetic (something you should try before surgery). The consultant (top class of doctors in the UK) explained that he would do anything to avoid surgery because the scar tissue from the previous surgery made it riskier to operate (more likely to sever a nerve). He also noted that it was common for the adjacent discs to fail years after back surgery. Two years later I was in great pain again, and as luck would have it I was back in England after a year in Scandinavia. This time I was treated by a back specialist that was an MD, but also an acupuncturist (among other skills). Two days after acupuncture the pain stopped. I have no idea if that was coincidence or causal, but if I were in such pain again I would be trying acupuncture before I considered surgery. He also had me work with a physiotherapist (physical therapist) to strengthen some abdominal muscles. I haven't had a serious back issue since then, including the trip back from Europe to the U.S., so a big thumbs up for physical therapy.

As far as living on a boat with back problems, there are some advantages to doing so. First, cruising is a very active lifestyle which will tend to keep you fit, the weight down, and out of the hospital. Getting around inside a boat tends to be much easier than a house due to proximity and handholds, very useful when it is difficult to maneuver. (Getting on and off of the boat, and getting down below, might be obstacles depending on the boat.) As you can see from other posts there is no reason to give up on cruising because of back problems for most sufferers.

Greg

[boatpoker]

1968 - Triumph T-160 = 3 crushed discs and 5 fractured vertebrae.

They wanted to fuse 7 vertebrate from day one but the limitations they told me about scared me more than the pain. I've learned to live with daily pain but every couple of years I'd go through such a bad episode that I resorted to prescription opioids which I managed without addiction or complications.
About 10yrs ago I had one of those episodes and they fed me Tramadol which I had not had before ... That stuff scared the hell out of me and I have since refused all drugs and just suck it up for a week or two til' the really bad stuff passes.

I've had several very minor surgeries over the years to fish out slivers of vertebrate than tend to fall off once in a while. Surgery or no ? Tough call.

[Sail2Hawaii369]

Originally Posted by CarinaPDX

If you haven't done so, see a physical therapist - they can make all of the difference. By learning to incorporate the correct muscles for certain motions the back will be better supported and less likely to be a problem. Stop running and jogging!!!! Running was a big part of my back's deterioration prior to surgery. Anything that puts impacts on the spine should be avoided. Bicycling and swimming are much better for you, and even walking is better.

Yes and the some of the best ways to rehabilitate the back is anything where the body is OFF of the ground, such as swimming, hanging from a pull-up bar (it decompresses the spine), strengthening the rotator cuff muscles first and then pull-ups and air acrobatic-type exercises.
It seems counter-intuitive, but contortion backbends can help stop pain. There’s a web site called Ilana’s Method that demonstrates them. It rehabilitates your spine, especially if you do a lot of work where you’re bending forward and lifting heavy objects.
Since everything is both upward and downward forces, the body has specific muscles that build a strong upward force, such as the iliopsoas muscles. This is how acrobats can easily do acrobatics when these muscles are strengthened. Strengthening your body OFF of the ground creates muscle balance, which is also how acrobats can easily do tricks and their bodies are built proportionally. When the back is injured, you can feel the overwhelming downward force of being on the ground and you can feel how exercises OFF of the ground, force your torso upright.

Air beds, massage, spas and ocean soaks are more powerful at rehabilitating the body than people without injury could know!
Coconut oil applied topically can also help to stop pain when nothing else works.

[GordMay]

Supporting what several CF contributers have previously indicated:

Yoga is effective at relieving chronic [non-sciatica] lower back pain, although no more effective than traditional stretching exercises, a study [1] found.

This is good news for the substantial [and growing] number of cruisers, who develop chronic lower back pain [defined as pain that lasts more than three months, with symptoms severe enough to interfere with some daily activities].

The study [1], which was published online, in 2011, was a comparative effectiveness study, which means it compared treatments with each other, rather than with no treatment [placebo].

Because the results were statistically the same, for the yoga and stretching groups, the authors of the study conclude that the benefits of yoga, for relieving lower back pain, can be attributed to its emphasis on stretching,
and not to any of its mental components, such as deep breathing and relaxation meditation.

[1]“Comparison of yoga versus stretching for chronic low back pain: protocol for the Yoga Exercise Self-care (YES) trial”~ by Karen J Sherman et al
➥ https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...rticle/1106098

Conclusion: Yoga classes were more effective than a self-care book, but not more effective than stretching classes, in improving function and reducing symptoms due to chronic low back pain, with benefits lasting at least several months.

[Sail2Hawaii369]

There’s also a book called “Healing is Voltage” by a brilliant eye doctor named Jerry Tennant who healed himself when conventional medicine told him that there was no cure for his own eye problems. It says that the body’s pH needs to be balanced to stop pain. I don’t know how that’s accomplished with metal rods inside of your body, but someone would be able to figure it out!

[deltaten]

As above.... manipulation will not fix busted disc's. I tried it out of desperation. Found that real, orthopedic massage worked better. After the MRIs, no honest bone cracker would touch me at or below the belt line.
I still sail;, only slower and gentler movement aboard. Never pushed it too hard anyway, so it was an easy adjustment.
AFA microsurgery...if they'd had it back when, it mighta helped. By now what few crumbs of disc's errant have been absorbed.

[JBsurfin]

Originally Posted by Dallasron

We are in a position to move the boat to the coast this spring and start enjoying some cruising 50-60% of the time.

I went out day before yesterday to button her up for winter and my back is out. I am looking into micro orthoscopic surgery to fix 3 bulging disc in my lower back that seem to act up more regularly now and lost longer.
My 38' Hunter is on Lake Dallas with just a few more mods needed this spring then move to the coast.

The question/concern: Has anybody had disc surgery and what was the impact on being able to cruise? I really want to take her up the east coast but sailing is a lot more demanding (and enjoyable) than a trawler.

I know there are lot of opinions out there but hopefully somebody has experience with their back.


Thanks in advance,
Ron

Bulging or herniated? My friends who are PT's all say bulging can be treated. My sister in law who had surgery years back before things got perfected in the medical world with disks, has had endless issues and multi surgeries since. I would seek out a spine specialist and a major teaching hospital. I've had several bulging disks early years from football, and later in my sporting life, all were treated to a resolution. An occasional flair up here and there, but no Dr ever recommended surgery.

[donradcliffe]

My primary care doctor is a really smart guy with a bad back. He has never had back surgery, which tells me a lot about the current standard of treatment. Of the people I know, some have had successful neck fusions, but lower back surgeries have hurt more than helped.

[Franziska]

Maybe this gives hope to some. It's the story of Abhilash Tomy competing in the golden globe race after massive back surgery.
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/abhi...t-race-3944165

[Sail2Hawaii369]

Originally Posted by Franziska

Maybe this gives hope to some. It's the story of Abhilash Tomy competing in the golden globe race after mass back surgery.
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/abhi...t-race-3944165

Brilliant! Thank you!
You learn the hard way some of the most important survivalism knowledge: how to stop pain worse than you know can exist and that the body has backup systems that are more advanced than the usual ones!

[A la carte]

Try Ozone injections.

I had a pinched nerve root due to a degenerative spine. Was giving me fits.

After finding the right location in my back, Cortisone was giving me relief for a short time but wasn't healing anything. Searched and found an alternative to Cortisone ... Ozone injection. Cured me and I was able to avoid surgery completely. It's been more than 5 years, I feel great, and I'm not a youngster (70). Apparently, Ozone is healing with oxygen and has some success in healing the soft tissue, helping your back to strengthen and align correctly. My doctor said he's had good success with backs and knees. "Real" doctors consistently talk down Ozone when I tell them my story. It was a well respected Chiropractor who did my ozone.

I'm not big on alternative medicine but thought I'd give Ozone a try before surgery. It was a small risk so, why not. For me, it took 5 treatments two weeks apart and cost about $150 per treatment.

[GordMay]

Get control of chronic back pain with a full spectrum of therapy options, experts say
A good read, with lots of links*, to further information.
➥ https://www.cbc.ca/radio/whitecoat/g...-say-1.7094501

* Including to: “WHO releases guidelines on chronic low back pain”
➥ https://www.who.int/news/item/07-12-...-low-back-pain