Posts
377
Joined
4/11/2018
Location
Inchelium, WA
US
blaze 57
7/6/2019 10:38am
7/6/2019 10:38am
Last winter I slipped/fell off a water tank landing on my left foot. Had little pain in my lower back right after the accident.
Fast forward to this spring and getting back into moto and noticed when exiting turns if I failed to quickly get my butt of the seat the acceleration bumps were driving pain into my lower back, butt and legs.
Doctor ordered an MRI and x-rays after 20 PT sessions did nothing to stop the leg/butt pain.
Images reveal broken spine which causes the L5 vertebrata to slip back and forth likes its on a hinge thus driving it into my main nerve cord at times.
Got into a neurosurgeon and now have pre-consultation surgery slated for July 17th for fusion surgery. Bone graft and titanium rods, screws will be required to stabilize the spine. Without the surgery the outcome is permanent nerve cord damage in the future according to the neurosurgeon,
How was getting back into racing after back surgery for you? This is my first serious back injury requiring surgery, Thanks.
Fast forward to this spring and getting back into moto and noticed when exiting turns if I failed to quickly get my butt of the seat the acceleration bumps were driving pain into my lower back, butt and legs.
Doctor ordered an MRI and x-rays after 20 PT sessions did nothing to stop the leg/butt pain.
Images reveal broken spine which causes the L5 vertebrata to slip back and forth likes its on a hinge thus driving it into my main nerve cord at times.
Got into a neurosurgeon and now have pre-consultation surgery slated for July 17th for fusion surgery. Bone graft and titanium rods, screws will be required to stabilize the spine. Without the surgery the outcome is permanent nerve cord damage in the future according to the neurosurgeon,
How was getting back into racing after back surgery for you? This is my first serious back injury requiring surgery, Thanks.
My advice is to listen to your MD on the rehab and follow the advice to the letter. I did and have had a great result. I am back to riding bicycling on the road w/o any issues like I had pre-fusion.
I have friends who did not do the rehab right and now have some permanent issues.
The only issue is that you now have fewer vertebrae to absorb shock and the vertebra just above the fusion is now your hinge point and needs to be taken care or it will go next.
Good luck with it all...
I hope what I said helped you and makes sense to you. I've got a scoliosis fusion so that isn't the same like a small fusion to repair something that is broken by trauma but, I know a little.
The Shop
Once L4 slipped over the front of L5 (Spondylolysis) it was time to bring on the screws and rods.
Another tip a non-back doc passed on to me is to beware of MD's who want to cut too soon.
Find one who has really "good hands" and has done a bunch of them with great results, especially with active people.
Having said that, a friend of mine had the exact procedure you described and he races off road (some MX track portions) with no problems at all. He also has had hip replacement and still races.
So it is possible but everyone is different and you never know how surgery will turn out. There are no guarantees.
I've been logging about 60 hours of moto track time a year for the past few years and racing fairly often without issue. I would second everyone else's advice of listening to your doctor, but if you don't like what you hear you can always get a second opinion. The varying levels of competency in the medical field is pretty large.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUCJo1j0S9s
Pit Row
I had to give up my career as a tech because of my fusion, doing shop work was too hard on it and I went home aching everyday. That alone was enough of a wake up call to really make me think “is it worth it?”
The pain after a fusion never really goes away, you have to stretch, you have to be careful with your body, and going to the chiropractor and getting massages and eating proper food is very important. A combination of all those does help with the pain.
I do miss Moto very much, but I don’t think I miss it enough to chance hurting my back again and potentially giving up everything I’ve got back on track in the past two years. Take your time with recovery and see how it feels, if it hurts to ride, don’t do it as it’ll degrade your back a lot faster then it should. Take it easy and try find something else in life to enjoy. Even if you’re not on the track, there’s still lots of ways to be involved with the Moto community.
Post a reply to: Racing after back fusion surgery