How soon after back Surgery?

[Jaguar27]

Hi Fans...

My Wife had back surgery last Thursday, a discectomy for a Herniated Disc...

I asked the Doc how soon she'll beable to ride again and he said 6 weeks...

I googled it and one site recommended Cycling and Swimming as the best therapy and said a Patient could possibly get back on the Bike in 2 weeks?

The Surgery has made a huge difference to her Sciatic problem btw, no more numbness and Pain in her leg, no more pain in her back apart from the obvious surgery discomfort because the Surgeon had to go through the Bone

Any personal experiences/anecdotes gratefully read!! Thanks in advance...

 

[Pharmr]

I STRONGLY advise you to listen to your surgeon and not Google!....with what you've written it sounds as if your doctor has done a fantastic job in helping your wife...it would be awful if she went back to activity to soon and ended up reversing all the good the surgeon has done....a month and half in the off season doesn't sound that bad in the long run, compared to many more years of pain free daily activities.

 

[Jaguar27]

Thank You Pharmr, you're absolutely right....

She's actually aiming to get ready for the Palm Springs Century, which is in Feb 2007...so it should be just about right...

As She said, it's her dream and Goal to beable to complete a Century without any Back Pain...

Thanks again!

 

[RickF]

+1 for listening to the surgeon. Depending on which vertebrae, the extent of the damage, and the operation performed, it could be as little as two weeks or as long as 16 weeks. Also, it would depend on the type of riding and the position on the bike.


Cycling and swimming can also mean a lot of different things to different people. It would not be a good idea to swim butterfly or ride in an aero position too soon after surgery. Riding on a trainer in an upright position or swimming breaststroke or backstroke at a leisurly pace could start sooner than other types of cycling or swimming.

 

[kokomo61]

+1 for listening to the surgeon. Depending on which vertebrae, the extent of the damage, and the operation performed, it could be as little as two weeks or as long as 16 weeks. Also, it would depend on the type of riding and the position on the bike.


Cycling and swimming can also mean a lot of different things to different people. It would not be a good idea to swim butterfly or ride in an aero position too soon after surgery. Riding on a trainer in an upright position or swimming breaststroke or backstroke at a leisurly pace could start sooner than other types of cycling or swimming.

Take your time. It took me a good 4-5 months to get back on the bike, and a full year before I was able to ride anything longer than 4-5 miles. I'm now doing 50, so it's possible to improve to a strong level, but there's no rush. You don't want to deal with setbacks during the recovery. Besides starting slowly (to quote Covert Bailey - "start so slowly that people make fun of you".), the other advice is to cross-train. I never run or ride two days in a row. It's always mixed with other activities.....

(2004 - Fractured L2 vertebrae in a motorcycle accident - spinal fusion T12-L3. Was initially partially paralyzed in my right leg, but due to a good surgeon, kick-a** therapist, and a lot of hard work, I'm doing pretty darn well, thank you.)

 

[Jaguar27]

Thanks very much for all the replies Guys, rest assured I've read them all and taken notes...great advice from all of you...we'll see how things go over the next few weeks...

The Surgeon did tell her not to sit for longer than 15-20 minutes, this prevents Scar tissue from forming....so I guess it'll be the first week in December before she climbs back on the Bike for a test ride...but we do have a trainer.....