jackazz - texas
im glad to know that im not the only gimp on here . i had 3 laminectomies in 5 months then went 2 years of barrly walking and going to the dr and he said you need this. so i went and had more opions and they all said the same thing but the lovely state of WA said NO and then i went to their dr and they said the same thing. but would not let me have a fusion unless i went to their dr .so after much fighting and bit hin. l had to go to seattle and have my fusion. which by the way is almost 200 miles from my door. surgery went great only in the hospital 4 days and home. i felt great better than in years started pt 4 mounths later and thats when i went down hill fast. so my dr said to stop going and the state said you must be ok you can go back to work even before i was released and then they made me have a physical evaluwation to see what i could do for work. it is a 4 hour test to see what you can lift or physicaly do. i had so many spasms that i could even finish.
the state wrote mt attorny a letter saying that i was faking and i could go back to work and the jobs they said i could do i had never done and they only paid about a quarter of what i made before. so i took this to my dr and he said that there was no way he would sign off for any of them. but the state didnt care what he said. and they stopped paying for me to see him. so i got a new dr and he syas the same as the first one . i get so sick of the polotics i just want to beable to walk awhile play with my kids and have a half way normal life again. without the drugs and the cronic numbness so i hope you have a better go at it than i have had. and that you state treats you better than mine. ive seen people on welfare get treated better than a hard working tax paying guy so good luck to you

 

Ouch, you poor guys, I feel for you, I thought my train wreck of a back was messed up but your stories are scary[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img]. I'm almost glad my doctors have never taken me seriously.

 

All this makes me want to sell my DS..........Already have a tear drop oozing out of a disc. (should have worn more than shorts and shoes on the 185s when I was 14)

Maybe talk about what you should have worn to avoid your injury? Or not done....so we learn from your mistakes.

 

Man guys just reading this post makes me want to take a bottle of motrin 800's. Ouch!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

My back injuries have to be mild compared to some of these stories. When I was young and invincible I injured my back overworking it lifting and shoveling rock for days. I was so sore I could barely bend and in the end I was sitting and lifting while twisting, something they constantly tell you not to do. I think I probably tore some ligaments and developed a couple bulging dics. It was the worst pain I've ever felt. I was never the same and my back has "gone out" so many times I lost track. Where I used to be able to lift an end of small cars now if I lift my DS out of a hole it takes a week before the pain subsides. I can't even pick up my kids in the morning until I limber up.
I just want the younger guys here to know that once you screw up your bod, it's probably going to haunt you for the rest of your life. It doesn't always have to be some gnarly wreck.

 

I am now 45 yrs old. When I was 30 I was told by 4 seperate surgeons that i had the back of a 50 yr old. They all told me to give up riding. I found a physical therapist who asked me what my goal was. I told him that I wanted to get well enought to get a new injury. He laughed and asked how much pain i could take. I told him that if I could ride again that there was no limit to the pain i could take. He basically taught me 3 stretches that stretch the sciatica nerve over all of the scar tissue i have on L4 and L5. I have to stretch almost every day but I can do what ever I want to now and am pain free with no pain meds for over 13 yrs. One time i slipped a disc on tues, saw him on wed and was riding a 110 mile enduro on that Saturday. This guy is real sharp and his methods have been called harsh by the doctors who wanted to operate on me. i say he is a answer to prayer.

 

Hey jackass I'll be 43 in August, some days I feel 83 though. Well last night was one of those sleepless nights. The Codine kept me up all night with hot spells and itching, maybe I can find a quite place today to catch a nap.
I bought an inversion table a few years ago but it didn't help me much. I paid a little over $300 for that thing and about a year after buyinh it they came down to under $200. I thought about selling it but if my back ever gets right again I can use it for stomach exercises, really works your stomach doing setups while hanging by your ankles.I never mentioned which ones are screwed up on me but they are L3,4,5.

 

inversion table,,,,,,hmm

might have to try that one

 

tell us more,,,,???

what stretches??

 

I will post this in stages as I have time today at work. I work in a machine shop and usually have a few CNC machines running which will allow to waste a lot of time in the spin zone. LOL. Today i am a manual machinist for the most part so my time is limited.

The first stretch and the easiest on the damaged back is a simple "knee to chest stretch". done while laying on the ground flat on your back with both legs laid straight out. While keeping the one leg straight, for me it was the one that didnt have pain in it. Bend your knee and pull it towards your chest. Switch legs and work up to both legs at once but not until their is little or no pain. this is not the time to be a hero and push thru the pain, that comes later. At first you need to do one leg at a time. The leg that is straight is keeping the back form being injured during the stretch.

the second stretch is similar but different. You are still laying on your back but this time up against a wall at a corner or door way. one leg goes past the wall out straight while the other leg is placed on the wall while bent. The goal is to get that leg flat against the wall while keeping the other leg on the floor. That leg, the straight one is what protects the back during the stretch. When you get to a point where you can get the leg flat against the wall try lifting your head and putting your chin to your chest. The most important thing is to keep the other leg flat, that protects your back.

these 2 stretches can be done by any one at any pain level. i would do this stretch until there is no pain before moving to both knees to the chest in the first stretch. Because of the fact that the straight leg protects the back. I know that I am way over stressing the straight leg but that is what i was taught and it makes sense to me. Just dont want anyone to hurt themselves more.

more to come later. MWQ