Playing after back surgery?

[Emoney]

So i just had a laminectomy 4 days ago. They basically removed bone from the back of my vertabre to aleviate nerve pressure that was causing horrible sciatica. I have been having back problems since i was 20 (im 30 now). I had cortizone about 6 years ago in the same area that helped me get back to playing. I fought may way through intermediate and advanced dealing with pain in my back and legs and i was recently able to feel confident to move up to pro. With the pain i was able to max out at about 400ft of distance on a good day. I basically used all arm when throwing because it helped keep stress off my back.
I entered the Gentlemans Club challenge pro tourney a couple months ago. On about the fourth hole i really tweeked my back. I managed to finish the round but could not play the other 2. After i got home the pain was so intense in my left leg i could barely walk and had to walk at an angle due to horrible muscle spasm. So i started going to a doctor. As of tuesday of last week i had my laminectomy. Iam not feeling pain in my leg but i know its gonna be a long rehab ahead of me.

The question i have is has anyone on here had back surgery and has successfully returned to disc golf? Also, has your game improved or gotten worse since your return? Do your now feel u have limitations that affect your game since surgery? How long till u started playing again?

Thx, just wanted to see what iam up against.

 

[Tfire25]

Let me just say one thing, your health is way more important than any sport. I would listen to whatever your dr says like its gospel. I came back to quick from an elbow injury(against medical advice) and further injured myself to the point that I missed 6-8 months.

I'm sorry to hear about your back. Keep on your rehab schedule and keep your hopes up! It seems like its going to be forever before you can play. Just find some other hobby to take up your time. You will be back before you know it. Good luck!

 

[bobmcnelly]

I'm 27, I broke my back while snowboarding when I was 24. I had 2 vertabre fused together and I was in a back brace for 3 months. I was playing disc that summer. At first was kinda holding back but by August I was getting record distance throws for myself. I've also snowboarded around 90 times since breaking my back which some would say is crazy. But I just can't stop doing what I love.

 

[DinosaurThunder]

I was fortunate enough to not need surgery, but herniated 3 discs while running track in college. I was on the bubble for surgery and decided to go the cortizone/physical therapy (PT) route. I decided to take a year off from running and play disc golf which was hard to do and focused on PT and participating in "low impact" sports. What this injury taught me is not to undervalue the importance of a long warm up and stretching when it comes to back injuries. I stretch for 30 minutes every night, even if I don't go out and play. This is more a preemptive measure for me at this point since I really don't want to experience severe back pain again.

My biggest suggestions for you are: take time to heal- don't rush back into playing if you could re-aggravate the injury post surgery, focus on your PT!!!!, and make sure to warm up/stretch before and after rounds when you are cleared to play again.

Best of luck to you and here is hoping you have a speedy recovery!

 

[prototypicalDave]

I'm not your doctor and I would ask them before I would take any advice from random internet folks. That being said, a lot will depend on how they accessed your spine in terms of the amount of muscle that they cut through and your overall health pre and post op. I would imagine that right out of the gate you will need to be very careful and make sure that you don't push yourself, but I don't think that you will be putting yourself at risk. I had a lumbar fusion performed when I was 17. They took strips of bone from my pelvis and titanium screws and plates and immobilized my last 2 vertebrae. I was in a body cast for 6 weeks. Right after that I went back to carrying 40 pounds of drums while running around a football field. I'm now 42 and fat and play 2-4 rounds a week with no issues.

 

[DiscgolfZen]

As a personal trainer, get very familiar with your pelvic floor/lower abdominals, oblique abdominals and lastly rectus abdominus. These are the absolute most important part of PROPER back stabilization and spinal alignment. Throwing a disc is a very dynamic motion. If the proper strength is not present the body will use the next best thing. Which involves a greater injury possibility. Become as flexible in your hamstrings and hip flexors as you can. Become as strong as you can in your lower abdominals, and strengthen your legs through all ranges of motion. Give your sacrum and pelvis room to move, this alleviates undue stress and torque on the back.

Listen to your medical team, however question all of the whys and hows! Become informed!

 

[giles]

I waited a month or two, two years later it doesn't effect my play.