Recently had a 2 level discectomy and fusion in c5-6 and c 6-7. Have been back on the road bike for 3 weeks ( with dr clearance). I have lost some neck extension rom, however…any ideas on refitting my tt bike so I can actually see the road ahead without straining to extend my neck? Also, the giro aero helmet I have takes too much extension to keep in aero position on my back…helmet ideas?
Peyton? Is that you? Don’t quit football for tri yet, the Colts need you for a couple more years!
No fusion, but I fractured C5/C6 and tore the ligament there. I lost a lot in my range of motion…it’s tough. I’d look into the rudy wingspan helmet.
As to straining your neck, go with what is comfortable and works. The aero gains of going low, but sitting up every 5 minutes to stretch aren’t worth it. I think you’ll be surprised with what you can get, relative to what some FAST cyclists have for positions.
I have narrowing C6-C7 that causes pain and numbness if I go aero for too long so I’m curious to see responses to your question. Some changes that I have made include decreasing my drop, using a road bike in longer races and spending some time in the drops/hoods to rest my neck, switching to more hilly races so that I’m on the hoods giving my neck a rest, switching to a helmet and sunglasses that sit high on my head/face, and biking more on the trainer and on quiet roads where I can safely look straight down for a while.
Very interested how this develops for you. A couple of weeks ago I posted this: http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=3544787. I’m still in the “wait and see” phase, hoping that my pain resolves itself without a discectomy and vertebrae join being necessary. Depending on who you ask, that is either to be expected or not…
Hi Banksdan, my best guess would be for you to be refitted by an expert on your bike. Also you should talk with your surgeon, he/she might not know about bicycle fitting but should be able to explain the limitations you might have. 7 years ago I had my c-5-6-7 fused together after a parachute jump in the military. Actually it’s not the jump it’s the landing that sucks… With that said, I just had my c-4 fused to the last three, 4 weeks ago. It was due to overuse. I play hockey and I’m a roadie. So I would be careful about over extending your neck in a very aggressive position. JC
Sounds like my symptoms prior to this surgery, and minus the slight rom decrease, I feel great! Went hiking 3 days post surgery. It’s been only 2 months and I really feel like I’m capable of a normal training schedule (at least building into one). If you have nerve pain/pins and needles in the scapula, arm, and fingers, look into anterior discectomy and cage fusion surgery. The full biological fusion takes up to a year, but screws hold it solid until then. Just need to be careful for awhile. I went to DISC Sport and Spine Center with offices in Marina Del Rey and Newport Beach, CA.
I read this as “Cervelo spinal fusion/aero position”
Wha?
I would look to rotating your position back around the bottom bracket to reduce the cervical extension required to look ahead. Move the seat back (down slightly to maintain saddle height), bars back and up to maintain the same hip angle. You may be looking for more of a “tweener” position.
Try a short tail aero helmet with less penalty for dropping your head, the Garneau Vortice comes to mind.
Hey, I had C5-6 fusion when I was 21 years old (Im 30 now). I didnt get into triathlon until I was 25, and have done a couple of Ironmans (doing IMFL next weekend), a handful of half IM’s, and lots of other races…I am actually a chiropractor and would highly recommend finding a good chiro/p.t. in your area who is familiar with your case…
Youll be fine, but you need to keep those joints above/below the fusion moving in order to prevent further degeneration/disc issues.
Occasionally, I have the numbness and tingling in my neck, but do not have the radiating issues that I used to before my surgery. I have a very aggressive position on my TT bike and sacrifice some comfort to be extra aero. I prolly wouldnt have those issues otherwise.
Feel free to give ask me any more questions about this!
c.
I think since mine is 2 levels, my loss of motion will remain a bit greater than a one-level fusion, so I think I will have to make some adjustments. Extension seems to be problematic, though not really painful. No more radiating pain, but, like you, some positional pins an needles occasionally in the scapular region. How long did full biologic fusion take? Little leery of chiro until the bones actually fuse