Hi everyone, I am looking for people in a similar position and hope I will surf again. 6 months ago I had L4/5 operated on and discovered several other bulges in my back. I am missing my surfing and am wondering if anyone has surfed again after this procedure??? I tried about a month ago and stained my back and couldn't walk for a few days... I'm scared my boards downstairs are only in the wall to collect dust now!

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Alphabet said...
Hi everyone, I am looking for people in a similar position and hope I will surf again. 6 months ago I had L4/5 operated on and discovered several other bulges in my back. I am missing my surfing and am wondering if anyone has surfed again after this procedure??? I tried about a month ago and stained my back and couldn't walk for a few days... I'm scared my boards downstairs are only in the wall to collect dust now!

Three bulging discs down low - forget exactly what - courtesy of getting smashed.

Do the exercises and stretches your physio recommends. Don't do the things that hurt it - I can play beach volleyball, but reaching down to pick the ball up at my feet hurts, for example. And swim.

It took me a fair while, and duck diving occassionally hurts, but I am all good. Aside from an extra dose of nervousness when it is solid. I still haven't got back the hunger for when it is near what was my previous big days.

I have not had surgery, but crushed L2 in a cycling accident. Was in a full length back brace for 10wks... pain for about 2yrs, and was out of the water for 10 months...

I found swimming to be the best. Still do laps occasionally when the back needs a tune up. And as Drip says, avoid things that hurt - for me it is shovelling (gardening etc) - and anything with a prolonged bending - and that's 18yrs on.

And I am now very conscious of those low tide days... been slammed into the reef once since and it scared the sh!t out of me!!

It is essential if you want to return to the water promptly that you do your stretches from the physio many times a day (constantly)
Join a yoga class and have a chat to the instructer, if you have a good yoga teacher your healing will go faster, the hardest thing is to avoid putting on weight while your back heals. Yoga will help immensley.
Dont keep eating anti inflammatories they are great short term but if you eat them like tic tacs to stop the pain to go surfing or walk around it is only after you stop that you realise you havent built your core strengrh up or you have bwwn favouring your "good leg.
You will most likely have a good leg and a bad leg, this can go away if you keep using your bad leg as much as your good one.
Good luck

Cheers for the response and kind of nice to hear it's not impossible. I've recently changed physio's to one that surfs and understands my urge! I'm even thinking of getting a SUP to get me in the water sooner.... I'm still getting lower back pain but feels like it just needs to be stretched and strengthened....I had to sell my ticket on the Sumatra trip of a lifetime because of this back injury and 2017 is all about getting back on a board for me!

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Alphabet said..
Hi everyone, I am looking for people in a similar position and hope I will surf again. 6 months ago I had L4/5 operated on and discovered several other bulges in my back. I am missing my surfing and am wondering if anyone has surfed again after this procedure??? I tried about a month ago and stained my back and couldn't walk for a few days... I'm scared my boards downstairs are only in the wall to collect dust now!

Hi Alphabet,

I had ALIF surgery (fusion) on my L4-5 a couple of years ago, it went really well. Plenty of stretching and strengthening especially core/abs helped me get back to standup after 8 weeks and Wavesailing 10 weeks.

Take it easy early and strengthen the area around spine, you'll be back out there on the shortboard in no time.

i met a young bloke recently at a sup demo who had a 5 vertebrae fusion in his back a year ago and was back on the water, kiting and supping, amazing.

J

If and when you decide to get back out and things arn't working out for you, you can always switch to a boogy board. I switched to body boarding and was surprised actually how ****ing fun it is! Especially when it gets hollow, and better yet the is no strain on your back. As soon as I got out my stick though I noticed the strain on my back, mainly on the stand up. Although I didn't have back surgery, wish you a steady recovery

Hi Jaime, congrats on the speedy recovery and getting back on the board!! I am doing exercises every day( when I can) and am kooking into buying a SUP to help to get me back out and build core strength. Just wondering what excessive you were doing and which you found the best??

When you are on the couch (recliner is good( or in bed or on floor whenever ads on tv come on activate your TA muscles (transverse abdominouus) by lifting your nuts up check by feeling for the v Style line down near the bottom of where a six pack would be) and do sliding leg raises, leg lifts etc.
Its both about thestrength of the core but also teaching your brain that whenever your abs are contracted these muscles should be on supporting core (rhey switch off when injured often). Its a good physio or Pilates thing. Or do Pilates to learn. Pilates is excellent.

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myusernam said..activate your TA muscles (transverse abdominouus) by lifting your nuts up.........

I'm not keen on heavy lifting