I recently herniated a disc in my back, and I’m looking for some feedback from other ATVer’s that have done this, or know someone that did. I recently bought a Prairie 650, and I’m wondering whether I should sell it. If it’s going to take more than a year to heal, or if future ATVing is out of the question, than I’ll have to sell it. My doctor wouldn’t give me an estimate on how many months to heal, and I can’t get into the back specialist until 2002 (the Canadian health care system sucks!). Please let me know if you’ve gone through this, or know someone that did.

Thanks.

 

i dont think it would be bad to ride but not for very long and only if your VERY careful where you ride. you dont wanna tear through a rough field or flip it on a hill. also, i think it would be a nice bit of safety to use a back brace.

 

Well I crushed my fifth vertebrae in march. I laid in bed till may. started slowly riding in june. full bore in august. keep it. you won't get what its worth most likely.

 

650vtwin-
I say keep the machine, you'll heal up quicker than you think if you're smart about what you're doing now. I broke my t-10 and t-11 vertebrae a few years back, bad enough that they were affraid to operate, as simply cutting the muscle may have shifted the bones enough to paralyze me. I opted NOT to go for the surgery. Along with breaking the t-10, t-11, I also took a chunk about the size of a quarter out of my shoulder blade. This was November 6th of '97??? A year later in '98 I was in a bad rollover accident in my truck, had a concussion, broken nose, 3 broken ribs, two cracked ribs as well as a few other injuries to my back. Being beat up already I started rodeo'n a bit more than usual, riding bareback horses-hell, I was hurt already so what did it matter to be doing this anyway right???? Well, got busted up even worse rodeo'n, quit that a few years later for good. Just a few months back, I got in a bad atv accident where I separated L-5 and L-6 vertebrae, then shoved the L-6 close to a 1/2" down inside my pelvic cavity, along with dislocating my hip. I could go on and on for other broken bones, injuries etc., but this stuff here is pretty major concerning back injuries and is a good starting point for you to consider.

The key to recovery is being smart about what you're doing now-don't go out and rush into riding just yet-wait a while till you feel OK. This could be as little as a day or two, or could be a few weeks, or month even. I don't go by the doctors at all anymore, don't trust a thing they tell me. I've been through too much other stuff where the doctors have screwed up, and have actually honestly been fixed, healed, repaired by veterinarians. -hell, I trust them with my stock, I've graduated with an animal science degree myself to be a vet so I know the training they've had and is more than what most doctors go through anyway, so why not let them work on me??? At any rate, it has worked better than standard doctors, I'm alive today thanks to a few good vets. I'm not saying disregard everything your doctor says, but if he says you'll be laid up for 6 months or a year-don't believe a damn thing he says. Diet is the key, I've learned that the hard way, and lately, have told several people this very same thing. Make sure to get a good well balanced diet, with lots of vitamins and minerals-supplements as well as what ever is in your main food source. Food is your body's fuel for maintenance along with recovery and healing. Feed it well, feed it properly. Also, despite what the doc may say, exercise is INDEED necessary. Laying around the house or couped up in bed will do more harm, require a longer recovery period than actually being active. Rest when needed, relax when you're really hurting, but also, move around a little-don't commit yourself to bed, or the couch. -with my broken vertebrae, doc said I'd be laid up for at least 6 months and be very lucky if I ever were to walk again. I was downhill snow skiing with my grandma the first of february, having broke it the first of November! I had actually started training again in martial arts about a month after the accident happened, slowly working up into what I could do, how much and for how long. Went back to the doc for a checkup, they said it was not possible to be in the current condition I was in-how did I do it? same thing as mentioned above.

I've been beat up and banged up far too many times in my rather short life (25) and have to lift weights now fairly regularly to keep my back in shape well enough to walk, but again, if I gave up a long time ago, I wouldn't be here today. That "never say die attitude" is much stronger than one would imagine, and as long as you WANT TO RIDE again, it will come sooner than you think. I ride an AC 500 Auto that does very well for me, I can ride all day long on this machine and not have a problem. The Ruby on the other hand-about 45 minutes and I'm ready to die. I haven't ridden a Kawi myself so I can't comment on how stiff the suspension is or how firm the seat is. The rear swing axle on the 'Cat is the best in the industry for smooth ride and keeping all fours on the ground. The seat is also very soft so the long rides (50+ miles, sometimes over 100 in a day) are not a problem. My suggestion is to keep the Kawi around for a while till you are healed up good, then ride it around for a while. It might take you a few weeks, or months even to build up to a full day's ride, but again, as long as you have the desire to do so, you WILL attain it. Once you can handle a fair amount of riding in a day, then see how the kaw treats you physically-how does your back feel. If you think you're OK, great, nothing to worry about. If you are feeling discomfort or pain of any kind, switch to a different machine with a more "plush" ride. At this current point in time, I'd recommend either the AC line or the Sportsmans-I think they are still among the smoothest riding machines to date. Will they still be when you are ready to change if you have to? Who knows, but for now, keep the Kaw, work on healing up, and slowly wean yourself back into riding, don't worry about a machine trade or sell off till you're totally healed and have given it a chance again. I honestly think you'll be surprised with the outcome, but again, you have to really WANT it to work.

Sorry for the long post, probably more than you wanted to hear. I guess I really should have just kept it short, saying "be smart, eat right, never give up hope" and you'll be fine. Do I think you'll be riding again? YES, definately. How long will it take? Depends on how bad the herniated disc/s are and how bad you want to ride again-or maybe how long you can stand to take it easy???

Best of Luck, it won't heal overnight, but will sooner than you think,

Mike

 

Thanks guys for the info, especially Mike for the short biography [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]. I feel a lot better about my back problem after reading all the stuff you’ve been through. It’s amazing your still walking!

After it happened, I bought a good kidney belt, and stayed off the quad for 3 months. I felt really good, so I went for a 45-minute easy ride. After that, I was laid up in bed for 3-4 days, barely able to walk. Now the pain (sciatica) in my leg is worse. I’ve been going to physio, the gym, and taking lots of vitamins, so hopefully it will heal quickly. I love this sport, and it kills me to see all my buds riding. I’ll take your advice, and keep the quad for now, and maybe give it a try in January (when there’s a cushion of snow on the ground). The kawi suspension has one of the plushest straight axle suspensions out there, but not as soft as an IRS machine. I’ve been considered trading it in for a Grizzly, but I think I’ll wait before making a rash decision.

Thanks again guys

 

I also herniated two discs in my lower back. One was completely herniated, the other above it was starting. I was told not to ride while I healed. I waited about 6 months and then went riding, very light riding that is. After awhile I noticed that it was not hurting me, so I slowly began riding longer and harder. I still ride hard and long with no problems.
Give yourself time to heal, then give the ATV a try to see how your back does. If all seems well, slowly work your way back to normal riding.
Also consider adding extra padding to your seat. If you have a professional do it, they can make the seat thicker and have it still look good.
And if it really comes down to it, you might try one of the IRS machines, such as the SP, Grizz, or maybe the new Rincon when it gets here. I can go much longer on my dads SP500 just because of the smooth soft suspension then I can on my solid axle polaris.

 

I once thought people who complained about their backs were lazy and looking for a reason to sit around all day and watch Jerry Springer. It was many years later that I found out otherwise. After years of poor lifting practices I now have a bulging disk that I feel each and every day. I enjoy my job and would never mention the condition to anyone at work, yet still it keeps me from being more active.

From what I have been told by many people, your chances of getting rid of the pain through surgery are less than 50%. In fact, many folks say they wished they had not gone through it. Take care of your back because it is one part of your body that cannot heal itself.

I would be very eager to hear if any of you guys have found that your back feels better by taking glucosamine tablets each day. My wife got me a bottle after hearing the recommendation from a friend.

Thanks,

Dan

 

I know the problems you are talking about I have three bad discs L3,4,5 had the 5th one operated on because of a foot drop problem. Foot drop problem never went away. I keep going to a Chiropractor and once a year go to a neurologist. Have been taking Chondroitin/Glucosime it really helps. I ride poker runs about twice a month 25-30 miles and feel great. I ride a Polaris sportsman 335 and the independent suspension really makes a difference.Other guys that ride with me cant't understand how I can hang in there going 25-30 miles per hour over all this rough terrain the independent suspension really takes out the rough ride. I also wear a brace on my right foot. So keep the Quad ,get something with independent suspension and keep riding.good luck.