Riding through spinal stenosis treatment?

Induray

Well I'm back to ridiing 20-30 mile loops. I have been gaining some weight because I have been doing a lot less than before my last incident so I was motivated to start riding again. I felt a little pain on my back but nothing much to complain.....yet. My fear is what I call, "cumulative damage" which is what I believe caused my incident 6-8 month ago. You don't feel it until it snaps on a day least expected. I miight have to consider getting a CF frame to minimize vibration. What do you thnk 'elnadeau'?

elnadeau

I acquired a Specialized Roubaix Comp when it first came out (about 3 yrs ago?) because I wanted a more spine-friendly ride than my old aluminum frame/carbon fork Schwinn. I like the ride very much on the Roubaix, and the cushioning (Bar Phat?) on the handlebars is something I would not want to ride without again.

I did not buy it with the thought that it would save my back from surgery (which of course it didn't), but it is more comfortable and I have no regrets. Is it "worlds better"? I don't know, probably not. In the end, a road bike is still a road bike and your spine does take on quite a bit of cumulative impact regardless, right? To calibrate your expectations, I would advise trying one or more of the "plush" bikes out to see what you think before you spend the cash.

TOPS System

Thought this information may be of interest to those with spinal stenosis.

Various centers in the United States are enrolling patients in a prospective, randomized study comparing the TOPS™ System to a traditional posterior fusion. This may mean preserved motion in addition to stability for the patients with moderate to severe lumbar spinal stenosis. Annually, 120,000 people undergo spinal fusion surgery, an invasive procedure that also limits mobility. The TOPS™ System, a total posterior spine motion device designed by Impliant is an approved device used in Europe. It is designed to stabilize the operative spine segment, but does not fuse the affected vertebral level, potentially preserving mobility.

For additional information on the TOPS System visit www.impliant.com. The web site also has video animation and a video case study of a patient pre-operation to 12-months post-operation.

Induray

Interesting concept. It's a combination of the "Charite" implant (which had not so good results )and the standard bracing. I have to read more about this concept, theinitial drawback I see (fm the website), is the support is offset to the spine's load line (central to the disc core) and thus has to overcome tremendous bending moments. So the disc will always see a portion of the bearing loads. So I can not see it as a fuse replacement. (I am a structural analyst by profession). TOPS your response will be appreciated.

Induray

Well, I guess TOPS did not have an answer to my inquiry. Elnadeau, have you been riding lately. Have you been able to increase your mileage??

elnadeau

I have been riding short rides (without pain). I have not been able to increase distance but only because of my work schedule. I have made a commitment to ride a 64k in about a month so now I have that to shoot for and will try ~30 miles this weekend.

(My cousin is turning 64 and we have a tradition of riding (at least) our age in miles on our birthday; this year he is making it kilometers because we both our not trained up, and of course I missed last year entirely. But for my bday in December I'll make him ride 57 miles This little ritual may is a bit silly, but it keeps us riding and gives us goals. Four years ago we rode the Amtrak Century, more or less for his 60th.)

So, to report my overall condition after 9 months - at this point I would term my operation as a success, that is it's much, much better than the pain and numbness I had before. I certainly aware hardware assembly back there much of the time, wake up a bit stiff, and bending to put on socks and shoes or pick up something is a bit tough. I have some nerve stretch that I feel on top of my right foot that is an occasional issue, this is slowly getting better - I'm told that it will take more than a year; I'm still taking Neuronton for this but tapering off.

Now, having said that it was a success - just to try to put this all back into perspective: The procedure I had was two-level fusion, anterior/posterior, and it was very invasive. The recovery involved several months of physical therapy, withdrawal from pain medication and continued a exercise program. This was a last resort after other treatments failed. I sincerely hope that others do not have to go this route, but if you do you - know that it can be done right (by the right surgeon) and you can get better, and you will be able to ride again.