26 with back problems

[bordrshane]

I have ridden or raced since I was 12 years old. 125/250 intermediate. Last year I woke up one morning and I fell to the ground in pain. My whole lower body went numb. I wasnt able to move. I went to the emergency room and had a bunch of scans and xrays. What they found was l5/l6 herniated disk pressing on my nerves. They said it wont require surgery. I wasnt able to walk for 3 months. It has been about a year since this happened. This happend without even being in an accident. Anyway, I just picked up a blown up 125 for REAL cheap and my plan was to throw a new top end in it and sling it off. Now Im thinking I might want to keep it. (I sold my yz250f last year) Should I just go for it and ride? I am still not able to run, jog, or do any jarring of my back. Doctor says stay away from bikes. (dont they all?) If I just stick to trails and just go on fun trips with the friend to the desert should I be fine? No Glen helen practices, no LACR practices. I miss hitting tripples and big hits, but if I just stick to the trail riding and desert riding i think Ill get my fix. What do you guys suggest? My parents say now way. Im 26 and would rather look at others suggestions. Thanks, Shane

 

[yzf125]

Well i have 6 herniated discs and i still ride, I gave it up in the begining, But riding was the only thing that could work the muscles in my back . I cant lift anything anymore so there was no way to work those back muscles. I had to learn to take it easy and not over do it.There is a risk with anything you do ,just keep that in mind ,so go for it. You could sneeze and be in worse pain than riding :yikes:

 

[crazy4nitro]

I have a messed up lower back from a unrelated injury and exercise in that area makes it feel good. now when I start the day riding i'm stiff and cautious but after like 40-60 mins that area loosens up and I eventually feel good,so I think riding is good,just be careful..

Crazy

 

[ryan78]

Also what will help with your back is to make sure to keep your hamstrings stretched and the muscles in your stomach in good shape. The stronger your muscles are in your stomach the better it is for your back. I know I had a spinal fusion a couple of years ago.

 

[Boodac]

I herniated L5 disc in my back about 25 years ago when I was 18. Two or three times a year I would herniate the disk by lifting something I shouldnt have an in some cases I would be bed ridden. I learned a lot of things about what caused the problem to crop up as well what to do to live with the problem over the years. First, most people think or believe they herniate the disk in their back when they do simple things like bending over to pick up a pencil, or put a cork in the tub or something simple like that. What I found over the years is that I usually did something earlier in the day to provoke the problem but bending over to pick up something like a pencil just broght the problem to the forefront. For example, Ive learned never ever lift something heavy unless you can hold it close to your body. Years ago I used to handle metal plates for work that were probably 4 feet wide that I manhandled around the shop. The plates were to wide to closely straddle against the body and I was too fullish to get a cart a lot of times. Sure enough. later that day, Id be bending down at home to put something in a lower kitchen cabinet or something of that nature and boom, the herniated disk happens. So to put it simply, make mental notes so that you can truely identify what causes the problem in the first place. That way most of the time you can avoid the situation.

I also learned that after a while you will start to notice when you might be ready to herniate your disk. For example, when Im about to have problems of this nature, I get a tingling sensation down in my lower back. Its a faint feeling that most times you wouldnt even notice unless you had the situation for a while. This is good to know because if you can predict the problem you can take steps to help before the onset. One of the things I do is take anti-inflamitories as soon as I get that feeling. Dont waste your time on the pain killers what you need are heavy duty anti-inflamitories into your system early before the herniated disc begins. That way you have them in your system and they help to minimize the impact of the pain and the recovery time. Also, very very important, dont have the wife or girlfriend massage that area of your back. That will only serve to inflame the area even worse.

Ok lastly, for years doctors have told me that I would just have to live with the situation because back surgery is major surgery and doesnt always correct the problem. Frankly as soon as they correct one area you usually herniate another area. The recovery time for said surgery takes a long time. For years I listened to the notion about living with the problem until maybe 3 years ago and after 20 years of living with the pain I started working out at the gym. You dont have to belong to a gym but strengthening the abdominal muscles definately and without fail help you to detour the onset of a herniated disc. While I didnt initially start out working out at the gym for the back, I eventually worked out a light routine to help strengthen that part of my body. Trust me when I say it has the biggest impact on your back. Most of us older guys get a few extra pounts in our guts over the years which doesnt help with the strain on the back. Building up the ab muscles has a huge impact on your back. Im not saying to have to be ripped like a body builder, Im talking about doing simple low-impact exercises such as leg lifts or sit ups. Dont over do it, and take it slow, otherwise your going to blow out the back and wont continue working out. Buildup slowly until you gain some strength in that area.

Sorry if this was long winded, but I have a ton of experience dealing with the herniated back and what Ive learned will hopefully help out.

 

[High Lord Gomer]

Wow! Great post, Bodac!

 

[Sicko]

This is my first post on DRN and one I can actually provide input.

I currrently am living with three herniated disk. The L3 to L4, L4 to L5, L5 to S1. The bad one is the L5 to S1. Size is 9mm.

Physical Therapy will greatly help in this area. Back traction is the best for me. The isometric exercises to strengthen the abs and lowerback help stablize the area around the injury.

Anti-Inflamatories are great. they reduce the swelling of the disk and take pressure off the spinal collum. My doctor has me taking over the counter Ibuprofin. Up to 2400mg a day as needed. I usually only take 4 200mg in the am.

My status when I hurt it was not near as sever as yours. I just had bad siatica on the left size. Hurt really bad when sitting and as I stood up. That was May of this year. I turned around and re-aggrivated it in October bending over to pick up a screwdriver. As the other guy posted before I am sure I did something else to bring it on. Today I am 85% pain free and I race X-Country about Twice a month.

I think the key is to condition your body core and stay with it.

 

[High Lord Gomer]

If you'd change your name you would be so.....SICK!

Welcome, and thanks for the suggestions.

 

[High Lord Gomer]

If you'd change your name you wouldn't be so.....SICK!

Welcome, and thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Paesen]

I know this is alittle late on a responce but I just joined.
I started having severe back pains a little over a year ago after a pretty severe crash. I just deal with it as best I can. The weird thing about my back is it only hurts really bad if I stand still or walk without bending for any longer than 10 min( walking) 2min standing still. If I work or ride my back usually doesnt hurt. As long as I stay active my back doesnt hurt. I do construction so im usually bending and lifting alot. If I stretch before I get started in the morning im good all day. But if I go to the bank first in the morning and stand in line or somthing im screwd all day. So to the point, it basically forces me to stay moving or sit down. I just tell my wife I have to ride alot and work alot so my back doesnt hurt, and it gets me out of food shoping and all kinds of crap thats boring.

Good luck with riding in the future, and your back.

 

[CaptainObvious]

I started having back problems when I was about 17 years old. It started as a simple spasm that would have me in mild pain for a day or two. By the time I was 30, I'd have 3 or 4 episodes each year that would last 10 to 20 days. The last one I had hit me hard. I lost the ability to stand on my toes, my feet went numb and I had intermittent bladder control. I wasn't able to commute to work, let alone sit in a chair. After a few weeks of this, I went to a doctor begging him to cut me.

After an MRI, it was discovered that I had a herniated disk between L3 and L4. The doctor insisted that this could be completely repaired without surgery. I didn't believe him. He asked for 90 days to correct the problem, and if I didn't show vast improvement he'd cut me.

He prescribed simple physical therapy and wrote a prescription for me to see a PT at the NJ Spinal Center. I was sure this wouldn't work. After all, how could simple stretches and exercise help. I was in real pain.

But after just a few weeks I began to feel better. At the end of the 90-day period, I was able to stand on my toes (not much, but it was an improvement) again. I was cleared to go to work provided that I stretched every hour. The PT signed me off and said "I hope to never see you again". I agreed and asked what kind of restrictions I should place on myself. He said, "none, if it feels good - do it". He went on to say that I learned good habits and if I did have any problems that I knew what to do for self-correction. He said "take it slow, but don't expect to run a marathon any time soon".

I kept up with my stretching and light exercise program. Six months later I joined a gym and started jogging. In time, the feel and motion had come back 100%. A year later I ran my first marathon. I called my PT and thanked him. He truly changed my life.

I haven't had a back problem since, and that was 13 years ago. And I still do those silly stretches every day.

 

[matt-itude]

so the bottom line is conditioning before or after injury?

 

[Boodac]

so the bottom line is conditioning before or after injury?

The answer is both before and after. As you get older the likelyhood of you having a herniated disc from your younger years of playing sports, bad lifting habits over the years and the extra pounds around the waist increases the probability that you will have back problems. If you are trying to recover after you have had a herniate disc, give your body a few days to heal then start stretching and strengthening the back. Just remeber to take it slow. This is not something that will happen overnight but after a few months of faithfully stretching and exercising you will see a noticable difference. The alternative is not to stretch and exercise, continue to have back problems on and off and the likelyhood of arthritis in your back in the future. I had to learn the hard way and wish I had learned what I know now sooner.

 

[matt-itude]

Thats what I figured. I'm now 29 and have had no major problems with my back. I think I'll continue an active life with excersizes and stretching. Yeah I know loose the extra 30ish pounds too.

 

[bordrshane]

I go to the gym alot and it seems as though I only beef up. I loose some gut, (not too much to lose though) and I gain lots of muscle. I wish I could just be some scrawny little guy. My biggest problem with riding now is whoops. The jaring up and down sends sharp stabbing pains down my back. I also make absolutly sure I dont ride over my head. I know if I fall, I may not be able to get up. Other that that, Im ok. I dont even look at jumps anymore. I was going to the physical therapists, but I didnt know that could have the effect they had on a few of you guys. Im going to look into going back. Thanks for the info guys.

 

[paulyester]

Well i have 6 herniated discs and i still ride, I gave it up in the begining, But riding was the only thing that could work the muscles in my back . I cant lift anything anymore so there was no way to work those back muscles. I had to learn to take it easy and not over do it.There is a risk with anything you do ,just keep that in mind ,so go for it. You could sneeze and be in worse pain than riding :yikes:

Amen, I'm riding with 4. I got sick of hurting my back picking up a jug of milk. I decided that if I was going to hurt, I might as well have fun hurting.

 

[trevor9a]

I don't think anyone can advise someone with what risks to take with their body. But I can say never stop the rehab excercises because that's when the pain comes back. Oh, and whenever I'm hurtin and am going riding I tell myself "i"m gonna take it easy trail riding today". Somehow my throttle always seems to stick wide open that day. :bang: