Back Surgery...The Uphill Battle??

So at 29,  I had back surgery last week.  L5/L4 Lumbar micro-diskeo-sumpthin' or other.  No Fusion or screws/plates etc.  The Neurosurgeon just cleaned the blownout s#!% out and left nothing in return.

24 combined years skiing/snowboarding (snowboarding almost exclusively for the past 20 years), 10 years skateboarding,  I spent five years (2004-2008) working as a house-hold goods "mover".  I've never broken a bone, and up until this past October I've never had a history of any prolonged injuries or chronic conditions.  In 2008 I started working full time as an Over-the-Road truck driver, and since then, have not been nearly as active.  This lack of exercise, combined with long periods of time spent sitting, seems to be what has led to the degeneration of my back.

I'm sure there are individuals on this site who are familiar with and aware of the "peaks and valleys", so to speak, of this situation I am in.

I am wondering what the implications of this procedure will be for future activities in the hills- Backcountry/in-bounds snowboarding,  backpacking, scrambling, and other strenuous activities.

What expectations are reasonable? 
How long will recovery towards being "100%" in respects to endurance level,  potential,  and general condition compare to pre-surgery levels?
How does one know if one is "over-doing it" before it is too late?
Will I ever be able enough for  snowy 6000'+ elevation gain days?
Will I ever enjoy mogul runs again?,  or attempt/land cliff drops?  

Now that the surgery is behind me and the road to recovery is ahead,  I cannot help but to wonder such things with all this time on my hands.  Thanks in advance for any suggestions or description's anyone has to contribute.

Movenhike

What has your doctor said?

I've little experience with back surgery, but be aggressive with your physical therapy and work hard -- it will pay off in the long run. If your PT isn't pushing you hard enough, find a new one and do what they say. My guess is that you'll probably be able to do most/all of the things on your list, but if you've lost some of the disk L4/5 you've got less cushion for the really jarring stuff. But that's me guessing, not knowing anything about your surgery. Grill your doctor for info.

After 60 years of abuse to my back, my degenerative disc disease has left only 1 disc more or less intact.  After X rays and MRIs all my Doc could say is "What a mess!"

Now I avoid prolonged sitting (behind the wheel, 1.5 hrs max), at the computer (20 min max), in an orthopedic chair, 1.5 hrs max.  I do lots of walking;  45 minutes of highly researched, self-managed phys therapy that includes stretching, tai chi, mild weight training every day ; use  tissue rejuvenator (glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM/anti-inflammatories) twice a day, and NSAIDS (Alleve) as needed.  At my doctors advice I am very very careful lifting anything over 25 lbs and I try to keep my ski pack to 25 lbs. I sometimes use a back-aline brace to limit my movements when working with firewood but avoid wearing it for prolonged periods, just for specific tasks.

That said: I did 25 days of XC ski patrol last year; I skied backcountry on AT gear for 47 days so far this winter; I can ride my road bike 30-40 miles before some pain/numbness sets in (getting better tho),  I can hike as high and as far I want to (summer time, 6 miles, 2,000-3,000 vf several times per week); I cut my own firewood, but I'm finding using a heavy maul and wedge to split large/knotty rounds is getting problematic.  It took a couple/three years to get here after a major back episode.

Disclaimer: I've never had surgery; I am not a physical therapist, MD,  orthorpedist or neurosurgeon (I've been to all these); my condition may not be at all like yours; but everything authoritative I've heard or read is that inactivity, especially sitting is disastrous for people with back problems; developing core muscles is essential as are relaxation exercises and stretching; regularly do those things you were accustomed to and want to do on a continuing basis but use common sense.

There are so many variables in back ailments and their many treatments that anyone offering specific prescriptive advice should be automatically suspect ("Just do xyz! I did, and I'm fine!"). General advice--find a good pt, ask your doctor, pay attention to what your back is trying to tell you, etc.--is fine.

Having said that, if you were really fine all your life until last October, I'm more than just slightly suspicious of your medical professionals, whoever they are. In the absence of real, very obvious trauma, that's awfully quick to progress from A-OK to surgical intervention. Inactivity doesn't normally lead directly to irreversible disk damage, no matter what. Nor does driving a truck.

Find out what really happened. That will point the way to where you should, can and will go from here (says he who just moments ago warned against specific advice).

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

(Partially disabled (and proud of it) since, oh, 1974 or so....and currently riding a badly-sprung motorcycle all over South America)

I had mirco disc surgery at 26 on my L5/S1 - that was 5 years ago.  Not too much fun, but was finally at my wits end from sciatic leg pain.  Surgery was in October, back out on the hill in middle December.  Depending upon your surgery, you might be there but could be longer.  Don't rush it.  I've been able to ride hard ever since.  My lifestyle has changed some in that I don't lift heavy weights anymore (lighter ones are ok) and I do more cardio.  I've had to baby my back some, and have found that good PT as mentioned above really helps.  I've got a good program for building core strength through a variety of core exercises, and usually do them at least twice a week.  It took a couple of years of recurring sore back muscles before I went back to a good PT place and got on a routine that I like and has really helped me. I do lots of core strength activities with an exercise ball. I find that if I don't do my exercises (which typically take about 20 minutes), after about a week or so my back will start to ache.

To answer your questions from my point of view (recognizing every person and situation are different)

1) My recovery was probably 6 months to get to pre-endurance levels (with a similar injury), but I was back out riding within a few months.
2) You will definitely know when you are over doing it (your body will tell you).  But, it may not tell you until the next day and you will hate life.  Start slow and work up slowly.
3) For me yes, so hopefully for you too.
4) I still drop cliffs, though as a boarder don't necessarily like the moguls:)

One key, I can't overstate this, is don't try to come back too soon or all at once.  Work on PT/rehab and slowly progress, build core strength, and pay good attention to posture, etc.  I'm must more careful now with posture and good form then I was earlier in life.  I wish you the best of luck!


Standard disclaimer stuff as others have said as well - the above deals with my specific situation, I hope you find similar results, but can't guarantee anything......good luck.

Mike -

While I haven't had the surgery you describe, I do second all of the good advice above -- especially finding a good phyiscal therapist who can help you develop a regime of stretching and exercise that you can adopt as part of your daily routine.

In my experience, the good news is that regular activity actually helps to fend off the negative episodes.  That said, the process of moving forward has confidence building periods followed by plateaus that seem like they are never going to end.  My recovery has been much more difficult mentally than physically.

You'll find that you will get more in-tune with what causes you grief, and then have to develop the discipline to let someone else to the lifting, or never sit for more than 20 minutes at a time, etc.

I highly recommend a lot of walking on varied surfaces assuming your doc and PT professional allow.

Good luck, and hang in there -- those future days in the bc will be all the sweeter!

J.P.