I didn’t want to hijack the “Get Well Alex” thread, but his injuries got me thinking a little bit. Does anyone else have experience with compressed vertebrae? I sustained a compression fracture in my L3 vertebrae riding an ATV about 2 years ago. I was stupid and didn’t do anything about it. About a year and a half later after graduating college I figured while I could still take advantage of my parent’s insurance coverage I would get it looked at. The doctor said I was pretty lucky, but that it was stable. The only real procedure to fix it, kypoplasty, involves sticking a needle into the vertebrae with a balloon on the end, they blow the balloon up to restore the height of the vertebrae and then fill the balloon with a type of cement. After doing a lot of reading I decided against it, it’s not recommended for younger people with strong bones as it increases the likelihood of injuring the surrounding vertebrae.
Anyway, cerveloguy gave me some good advice, but I thought I would open it up and ask everyone. I have run a marathon and done and Ironman since the injury. I can run and swim without noticing a thing, my lower back gets tight on the bike after about 3 hours or so but I can stretch it while riding. What is the most uncomfortable is sitting in my chair at work or sitting in the car for long periods of time, I can do an Ironman but I can’t drive 5 hours, haha. Anyone have any experience or advice? Thanks.
I had a compression fracture of T12 about 14 years ago, there was little done at the time of injury, 6 weeks of rest on my back, followed by physio to keep everything strong while things settled back down.
For me it took a good 4 years before it final seemed to settle to the point that it has stayed at since. In those 4 years there was a very long and gradual improvement in strength, stability, flexibility and durability.
Even now sitting awkwardly or without good posture still creates an ache, but overall my back feels good most of the time.
I would say in my case that keeping it moving has been important to maintaining strength and flexibility, that combined with lower back strengthening has made a big difference.
I’ve never considered surgery because it still works well, and the disc seems to be OK…but have to see what happens as time passes. Hope some of that helps, any questions get in touch. Good luck with it.
I broke my back skiing 2 years ago. Compression fractures at T3, and T4. I was also very lucky not to end up in worse shape. Since then, I have done 3 Ironmans and a bunch of 1/2 Irons.
I my case, when I am active (i.e. training) my back doesn’t really bother me. Swimming and doing yoga help to relieve the stress. But I definitely “notice” my back every day. You are right about the office. I find myself to be in the most discomfort when I am sitting in a chair in front of a computer all day long. It is almost like a catch 22 - I feel good when I am training, but there is also a need to take a break from that (like I am right now) and that is when my back bothers me the most. Looking forward to at least doing some CC skiing soon.
My Chiro, who also has compression fractures himself said that short of the surgery you mentioned, staying active, fit and flexible, and keeping the blood moving around you back is the best thing you can do. I am also young (28) and he did not recommend the procedure. I guess it is also still a relatively new procedure. Because the bones in your vertebrae have been compressed, muscle has to pick up the slack and they get fatigued fairly easy. So treating it that way (keep them strong and happy) is how I manage it…