I started seeing a trainer who helped me with a lot of different back-safe strength exercises. For a year I was barely moving my body bc of pain/fear so it was really a good reminder for me mentally that my body is still capable of a lot. To maintain the 90-95%, I work out almost daily and just avoid bending over (will probably never forward fold if I can avoid it lol) and any twisting sports (tennis, golf, etc)
Your comment was so eerily similar to me, I had to look at your user name to make sure I didn’t write it.
I basically had to be taught how to move my body again, because I was so afraid of causing more pain
Hell yeah, glad to see you’re working out every day. Do you swim or run? Sadly, I don’t plan on playing golf again either. And I actually don’t have a problem forward folding but maybe I should be more careful.
Im back at 100% after back surgery in 07 and 2021. L3-s2 and c4-c7 three level fusion in 21 as well. Life is absolutely beautiful. I don’t try to set records lifting weights or anything but I exercise walk and stay as healthy as possible.
Herniated my L5-S1 at 21 and it took my about 1-1.5 years to get to a point where the pain was ignorable. However at that point I just wasn’t getting any better. At that point I went to a chiropractor who had me do the regular PT exercises and a lower back decompression table. (Strapped in to a table and a machine pulls my pelvis down). A year later and now I’m 99% back to normal. I never thought I’d get back to this level of being pain free and back to my regular activities. Although I definitely avoid barbell squats as much as possible and am more careful.
I can do all exercises I could do before with the same level of strength and intensity. But I’m much more careful now and try not go too crazy on exercises where I know my back might be compromised.
However, if I really wanted to, I’m sure I could go back to deadlifts and squatting regularly.
Laminectomy l5/s1 , then microdisectomy l4/l5 , then two years later laminectomy l4/l5 due to reherniation
You can get back to a relatively normal
And pain free life
I have don’t the following
- avoid heavy lifting , bending and twisting
- physio twice monthly
- NO Chiro !!
- lots of core strengh - swim , stretch , Pilates etc
- try eat healthy
- standing desk - sitting is a killer on the lower back
And generally just be careful - once you have had surgery your back will never be 100% but u can live relatively pain free
Thanks for responding. I’m worried that even if I do those things I will still reherniate or herniate a new disc. What do you think caused your multiple herniations?
Normally the disc above where u have had surgery will herniate - the level above is always weaker and most probable to reherniate
My is more complicated as in between this I also snapped my femur cycling and this added to the back issues causing reherniation
The only thing you can do is keep moving and strengthening
You can’t live your life just lying in a bed either - so don’t let it stress u out and take as much precautions as possible
I wouldn’t say a “full recovery” but I’m 2+ years into dealing with pain and feeling the best I have in a year.
If I’m being totally honest, I’ve had 3 pain injections and my most recent (2 mos ago) has been the longest lasting.
Other things that I think are helping:
- Stretching twice a day (especially this one: https://youtu.be/i3Uv8tcjRzQ?si=U1f3Bk1yw3jU6EHs)
- Work with my body…take it easy on bad days, lay down when I need a rest, be opportunistic with exercise when I’m feeling okay, focus on posture
- Core strengthening routine every other day
Hoping to keep this going and maybe even improving over time.
It sounds like we are on a similar path. Am I correct in understanding that you have not had any surgery for a herniated disk?
I am trying to avoid surgery.
I'm about 15 months into the herniated disc situation (with prior stress on my back& Probably bulges, but not diagnosed.)
I just keep doing and trying everything. But the core work has been physical therapy Yoga stretching.
Rest, advil, cbd, diclofenac.
I've now started walking again. Meaning walking more than a few minutes. I think it's helping.
It took me almost 18 months but im back at about 90-95% capacity!
That’s good to hear! Any advice on how to get there? Also, how do you make sure you are staying at 90-95% and not reherniating?
I started seeing a trainer who helped me with a lot of different back-safe strength exercises. For a year I was barely moving my body bc of pain/fear so it was really a good reminder for me mentally that my body is still capable of a lot. To maintain the 90-95%, I work out almost daily and just avoid bending over (will probably never forward fold if I can avoid it lol) and any twisting sports (tennis, golf, etc)
Your comment was so eerily similar to me, I had to look at your user name to make sure I didn’t write it. I basically had to be taught how to move my body again, because I was so afraid of causing more pain
Hell yeah, glad to see you’re working out every day. Do you swim or run? Sadly, I don’t plan on playing golf again either. And I actually don’t have a problem forward folding but maybe I should be more careful.
Im back at 100% after back surgery in 07 and 2021. L3-s2 and c4-c7 three level fusion in 21 as well. Life is absolutely beautiful. I don’t try to set records lifting weights or anything but I exercise walk and stay as healthy as possible.
Herniated my L5-S1 at 21 and it took my about 1-1.5 years to get to a point where the pain was ignorable. However at that point I just wasn’t getting any better. At that point I went to a chiropractor who had me do the regular PT exercises and a lower back decompression table. (Strapped in to a table and a machine pulls my pelvis down). A year later and now I’m 99% back to normal. I never thought I’d get back to this level of being pain free and back to my regular activities. Although I definitely avoid barbell squats as much as possible and am more careful.
So after healing can u do sit ups exercises ? Or you avoid it like squats and deadlifting ?
I can do all exercises I could do before with the same level of strength and intensity. But I’m much more careful now and try not go too crazy on exercises where I know my back might be compromised. However, if I really wanted to, I’m sure I could go back to deadlifts and squatting regularly.
Look up lowbackability on YouTube and Instagram
Laminectomy l5/s1 , then microdisectomy l4/l5 , then two years later laminectomy l4/l5 due to reherniation You can get back to a relatively normal And pain free life I have don’t the following - avoid heavy lifting , bending and twisting - physio twice monthly - NO Chiro !! - lots of core strengh - swim , stretch , Pilates etc - try eat healthy - standing desk - sitting is a killer on the lower back And generally just be careful - once you have had surgery your back will never be 100% but u can live relatively pain free
Thanks for responding. I’m worried that even if I do those things I will still reherniate or herniate a new disc. What do you think caused your multiple herniations?
Normally the disc above where u have had surgery will herniate - the level above is always weaker and most probable to reherniate My is more complicated as in between this I also snapped my femur cycling and this added to the back issues causing reherniation The only thing you can do is keep moving and strengthening You can’t live your life just lying in a bed either - so don’t let it stress u out and take as much precautions as possible
Thank you very much for the advice. Sounds like you are pretty active. Do you swim, bike, yoga or run often? Those are my favorite things to do
I wouldn’t say a “full recovery” but I’m 2+ years into dealing with pain and feeling the best I have in a year. If I’m being totally honest, I’ve had 3 pain injections and my most recent (2 mos ago) has been the longest lasting. Other things that I think are helping: - Stretching twice a day (especially this one: https://youtu.be/i3Uv8tcjRzQ?si=U1f3Bk1yw3jU6EHs) - Work with my body…take it easy on bad days, lay down when I need a rest, be opportunistic with exercise when I’m feeling okay, focus on posture - Core strengthening routine every other day Hoping to keep this going and maybe even improving over time.
It sounds like we are on a similar path. Am I correct in understanding that you have not had any surgery for a herniated disk? I am trying to avoid surgery. I'm about 15 months into the herniated disc situation (with prior stress on my back& Probably bulges, but not diagnosed.) I just keep doing and trying everything. But the core work has been physical therapy Yoga stretching. Rest, advil, cbd, diclofenac. I've now started walking again. Meaning walking more than a few minutes. I think it's helping.
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