I'm feeling a sense of dread that I may miss out on the entire season as I languish in a rehab facility after back surgery. In a back brace for 3 months at least.
Has anyone got any tales of recovery and getting back into the water to inspire me?
Cheers,
Matt
In January 2009 I suffered from a burst back disk between the L3 and L4 bones. The symptoms were incredible pain down my right leg, unable to stand straight and feeling like my life was basically over, I would be a cripple for the rest of my life.
On my birthday 2009, 7 February, about a week after the accident I was in bed. It was an incredibly hot day. It was the day of the terrible bushfires in Victoria. I sneezed in bed and went back to sleep. When I woke the pain down my leg was gone and I could stand reasonably straight. However my right foot and ankle had lost its strength.
So it was an improvement but still was a problem. After a lot of tooing and throwing I finally had an operation on my back in August 2009. The operation went reasonably well. I was windsurfing two months later. However I don't think the surgeon took out as much as he should have because my right foot is still not right as its fairly numb and is weaker than it should be.
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Mate, hang on, look forward to better times, go slow. It takes time. When it feels tight in the brace, have a tinny or 2.
I had a back trauma in the early 20s. Doctors wanted to open me up, I couldn't work nor even sit. Learned to live with it and developed my own physio - lots of reading. Still very many limitations, but can live with it.
Also had a shoulder replacement... before it even existed (Bristow repair), also when young. Was in some sort of an upper body cast for 3 months. Was all bones when I came out of there, doctors told me I would never windsurf again, nor raise my arms above shoulders, let alone compete. I was back on the comp circuit 2 years later. Again, no thanks to physios, but lots of reading and self-help.
Much better days ahead friend.
80% of the longboard forum.
left shoulder recon 2009 6 months rehab, right shoulder recon 2011 6 months recon, 2012 bulged disk C7-6 May to current hope to be on the roadbike, kite, and surfboards end of the month.
It gets better, you find new sports to do that get you on the water SUP is a big one for me at the moment as my issues at the base of my kneck so I couldn't tilt my head back. Take on your rehab with the enthusiasim that you surf/kite/windsurf with it's a good outlet and will help.
Good luck with it.
http://www.rewarded-movie.com/
Watch magic moments on the page above
(whats with not being able to embed functioning vimeo links any more?)
If this doesnt make you feel better then nothing will
An observant taxi driver spotted my still burning headlamp on the grass whilst he was stopped at the traffic lights near Langley Park late one night. He investigated and found me barely breathing and contorted from broken collar bone, elbow, wrist and fingers plus some broken teeth in my windpipe, the result from a high speed fang (57kph) on my MTB into a 13" high square faced kerb. If I wasn't wearing my helmet I think I would be dead and the ortho and neuro specialists agreed with me. I spent time at a gym building strength again per a program given to me by the Physio and 12 months later I was back in the water and on the MTB.
My point is, no matter how bored you get, take the time to heal properly and be very disciplined with any exercises the specialist's give you.
EDIT: it is 'kerb' not 'curb'.....phark my spelling and grammar is atrocious at times
Yeah, crushed L2 by 13mm in bicycle Vs car incident. Back brace from neck to pelvis for 10wks, and in bed without a pillow for about 20hrs a day... could not sit. Ate standing up... 16 weeks off work, then a gradual increase of hours until fulltime again.
Took me 10 months to get back to surfing... went for a gentle cycle around 4-5 months... did lots of swimming. LOTS of swimming...
Still aches from time to time, and a day spreading a couple of trailer loads of mulch 'kills' me... but today I just spent with my teenage kids abseiling down a 58m rock face... 
As others have said, listen to your Dr and Physio and do what's required to rehab and strengthen yourself.
I spent the day trying to keep up with my crazy 51 year old brother on a very intimidating singletrack at Dwellingup.
I'm not saying don't listen to your Dr., but I spent a small fortune on Neuro specialist trying to stop my cramps.
I couldn't get through the night without my right leg or left oblique muscle cramping up in a really nasty way.
I had nerve conductivity tests, muscle relaxants, massages... pain management clinic.
Nothing worked, and just cost me money and made me feel worse... so I figured I'd sort myself out, like pierrec45 by reading.
I discovered AAKG, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arginine_alphaketoglutarate there's no "scientific" evidence is does anything, but within a week the cramps were down by 90%.
Bottom line: Nobody knows you like you do, so learn to look after yourself and don't depend on experts.
