I am scheduled to have surgery on the L5/S1 coming up and wondered if any triathletes had any words of caution, wisdom, encouragement?
Best of luck.
Same segment is somewhere on my horizon. I know there will be a lot of people saying no matter what, don’t do it but they do not know your individual history and management to date. At least with it being L5 S1 you are in the least likely to affect another segment group but obviously it will have some effect on flexibility.
I would guess that the most important thing will be patience to ensure that the fusion and graft material has enough time to fully grown in and heal when you just want to get out there and train.
One thing that has come out from the research I have done is to avoid NSAIDs as they have quite a negative impact on the healing process of the bone graft. That said the most important thing is to work closely with your surgeon and PT’s to make sure that the time and effort that you are putting into this is well spent. Best wishes!
I don’t have any advice, but a brief story to share of a non-triathlete friend of mine. He is about 50 years old and has had three spinal fusion surgeries in the past decade. He takes massive amounts of heavy painkillers multiple times per day and probably will for the rest of his life. Due to a variety of problems, he generally avoids physical activity. He is overweight. I speculate the quality of his life will continue to deteriorate. His short-term memory and his ability to focus (on complex cognitive tasks) are shot, probably from the many years of heavy painkillers and other drugs.
I feel for my friend…his condition seems very sad. I have only known him for about four years so I don’t know what led to his first surgery and what he did, if anything, to try to avoid it.
I wonder if he tried things like ART, chiro, deep tissue massage, rolfing before going under the knife. It sure seems like things might have been better if he had found a way to manage the pain without the spinal fusion surgery.
I know exactly what you are saying regarding exploring all options but often people only think that surgery is scheduled as a way of managing pain. Unfortunately, for a lot of active people that is not the case. For me personally, swimming and cycling has been a way of putting things off and managing the problems I have. However there will come a time when that is no longer an option.
When the pain is an issue for me, unfortunately meds simply don’t touch it so these days I don’t bother. What is often forgotten and as always dependent upon each individuals circumstances (size, fitness levels, history, bone physiology and mental approach) is when a disc has completely collapsed and is pinching a nerve, that can result in the neural signals being interrupted with regards to control of the muscles in the leg and foot. Bluffing your way through a day (or days) at work when you have no feeling from mid thigh down or are sitting in a meeting when a bad office chair fires off a nerve triggered hamstring spasm that puts you on the floor is something I would not wish upon anyone.
Yes, most definitely explore all management options but at the same time there may come a time when intervention may be the only option to prevent further irreversible damage that could put someone in a chair for life.
Wishing you lots of encouragement here. I had L1-L3 fused due to an accident in which L2 burst fractured. I think the attitude you approach it with makes a huge difference. I ran my first marathon two years after the surgery, I now realize what a gift running is. I try to never use it as an excuse, but as something to remind me to take everything in and enjoy what you are capable of doing (not saying that is always easy). I find that keeping my core muscles strong is the best thing I can do for my back.
I forgot to wish you the best in my previous post; I’m sorry for my omission. Good luck with whatever options your pursue.
I just had my second diskectomy on L5-S1 last week. I have no idea on the fusion though. Whoever said no NSAIDs is right.
I think Gleveq had a fusion done several months ago. Search the forum for posts on herniated disks and her post should come up.
Best of luck.
Hi, I had a 2 level Spinal Fusion about 6 or 7 years ago. (L4-L5, and L5-S1). It’s the best thing I ever did. I went years of many back problems. Nothing helped. Years before, one surgeon told me that I would know when I would need the surgery and I never thought twice about what he meant. Then years later, It was so bad that it used to go out just walking across the room,(and missing too much work) and it was affecting my life too often, ( canceled family vacations, no more coaching the kids little league & softball teams,( I could not even play catch with my kids) i.e. - my quality of life was not what I wanted it to be, I knew it was time.)
It sucked. Months off from work. 6 months later, with therapy 3 or 4 times per week, I was getting no where. I just got frustrated, and quit PT, and joined a gym with a pool. I started swimming laps on my own. ( I was not a swimmer) It was the best thing I could have done. 2 years later I was turning 50 & joined a masters swim OWS team (which totally changed everything I was doing , lol). I was a runner many years ago, and I started feeling so good I started running again, and 2 yrs ago I started doing Sprint Tri’s, and this year I am doing my first Olympic & I will attempt the local cross bay swim ( 5.2 miles) . Now, I know what my restrictions are (most of the time), but I can do so much more. Yes, I am often ackey or have limits ( Masters swim I don’t dive off the blocks, just the side of the pool (even though I bet I could) but that alot better then being laid out in bed for a week!!! I do palates 2 times a week to help with my core and swim, bike run 2 times a week each. I’l never be great, but I’m having fun!
All things that went in my favor for a successful fusion are; I am thin, non-smoker,and stayed off NSAIDs.
I was terrified going into it, thinking that my athletic days were over, but now if I don’t workout it bothers me.
If you have any specific questions, just e-mail me at bfsdlo@aol.com .
Good Luck, Bob
Will be 9 months in March! I had a S1/L5 fusion and a little clean-up work on L4/5 on June 4, 2010. Previously I had a 2-level microdiscectomy in Aug '08. Came back and put together a decent season in '09 but thing flared up early in '10.
I had gone through chiro, massage, ART, the McKenzie method, and multiple steroid injections, none of which worked for my issue which was predominantly radicular pain in my left hip, leg and foot. After the first surgery, I had some back pain, but it was very tolerable until the leg pain came back.
After the fusion, I was swimming and riding on the trainer in 3 weeks. I walked like a demon, building up to 2 hours at a time. I was able to jog at 12 weeks, very slowly and with many walking breaks.
I am now riding my bike to work 2-3 days a week, swimming 2x a week (about 3500 yds at a time w/o flip turns) and running 3-4x a week. I am registered (with my surgeon’s blessing) for my first standalone marathon @ Big Sur in May. My long run is currently at 16 and that is pretty much pain free. Better yet, I am actually USING my left leg for the first time in years! 
No, I am no longer the competitive athlete I used to be, but I had a good run and at 53 I am coming to terms with retirement. What I do now is pretty much for fun and to keep me fit. I do have days where I feel achey and have learned that I have to back off at the first hint of a tingle in my left ankle, but I was saying to my husband just the other day that the overall quality of my life is 100% improved. I rarely have to take a muscle relaxer or pain killer…much, much less than before the surgery. I can sit in a chair, I can drive a car, and I can sleep at night. My issues had come on so gradually that I didn’t realize how much “discomfort” I was in on a daily basis. Grateful as hell now that it’s gone.
Dr V (Alan Villavicencio) of Boulder Neurosurgical did my surgery and he is the BEST! Still calls or emails just to check up on me.
Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions.
G
Hi All-
I haven’t been on this page in ages. It is so good to see so many of you are doing well and staying active. You all give me hope. So far, I have avoided a fusion but had a microdisectomy at L4/5 & 5/S1 in May 2008 and then another microdisectomy/debridement in Dec 2010. I recovered fairly well after the 2008 surgery but no longer raced at a competitive level. I was able to complete IMLP in 2009! I was feeling great after Placid and continued training and racing. Last summer as training volume was increasing, the foot numbness returned. I tried PT, steriod packs, and injections. In November, a new MRI showed a reherniation at L4/5 and severe stenosis from scar tissue at the same level. Since my most recent surgery, I have had intermittent foot numbness, significant hip and SI joint pain. After 7 weeks of PT, my surgeon discontinued treatment for lack of progress. I have been told to do nothing! I know I feeling better doing something, anything at this point. I started with a Chiro just last week and the numbness subsided for a few days after the first treatment and then again after the second treatment. I would appreciate any advice or suggestions you might have.
I worked an aid station at the Rouge Orleans 126.2 mile Ultra run this past weekend (Baton Rouge to New Orleans on the levee). We logged in the solo runners as they came through and chatted a bit with each one. One of them came zipping into our station (mile 59) looking fabulous, feeling chipper and very chatty. His wife said he had a fused lower back as a result of several surgeries and was told he’d never run again. He’s done over 16, 100-milers! If that’s not encouraging I don’t know what is…
Had it sept 16th. L-5 L-6 S-1… Walked the next day. Running biking swimming now ,as good as ever. Better than the last 3 years. Doctor Heim in Saint Louis . Brain and Spine institute . Good luck. I think my success was from being in shape going in and WALKING after . I did up to 4 hours a day.