# Anyone here riding after surgery for a spinal fusion?



## BurtonAvenger (Aug 14, 2007)

Tell your skiing loving doctor to suck a fart. You're more likely to fall skiing than you are snowboarding. 

Oh you can't ride trees or backcountry. Trees maybe will be an issue if you hit one, but ripping wide open bc bowls. You're less likely to hurt yourself falling into pow than falling on a icy groomer. Get a good PT that will help you build your core muscles back up and then easy step it. No one on here can say whether you'll be able to ride again or not, but you know if you can or not.


----------



## Seppuccu (Dec 4, 2012)

BurtonAvenger said:


> Tell your skiing loving doctor to suck a fart. You're more likely to fall skiing than you are snowboarding.
> 
> Oh you can't ride trees or backcountry. Trees maybe will be an issue if you hit one, but ripping wide open bc bowls. You're less likely to hurt yourself falling into pow than falling on a icy groomer. Get a good PT that will help you build your core muscles back up and then easy step it. No one on here can say whether you'll be able to ride again or not, but you know if you can or not.


Werd. Doctors know a lot about surgery and medications, and that's about where it ends.


----------



## jdang307 (Feb 6, 2011)

Peyton Manning is playing football with a fusion in his neck.

Ndamukong Suh is much worse for your health than snowboarding. Just don't get crazy.


----------



## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

First off, I didn't have spinal fusion so I can't address your question with personal experience. Just some thoughts on your questions...

Of course you are less likely to fall with skis than with a board in general. However, this shifts if you compare a beginner skier (which you'd be) to a seasoned rider (are you?). If you have a certain riding level and don't push it, avoid certain situations like exercising new stuff, you _can_ ride without falls. E.g. I had ruptured discs and been riding abyway (against the recommendation of physicians. They were also concerned about potential falls). I just rode bit more cautiously; and didn't fall - on groomers as well as backcountry.

It depends on you... are you still prone to catch edges or can you ride without falls all day long? Are you the type who will ride cautiously continuously or are you soon going to be bored and begin experiments?

As for protection gear: check out a backprotector. It will absorb part of the impact and distribute it to a bigger surface. I'm constantly surprised how uncommen they are in the new world. Where I ride, they are quite standard - also for ppl who just ride groomers. I've a Dainese protector, the newer ones are quite comfy, I hardly recognize it anymore. Get one with good air venting.


----------



## andy_d (Jan 14, 2011)

BurtonAvenger said:


> Tell your skiing loving doctor to suck a fart. You're more likely to fall skiing than you are snowboarding.
> 
> Oh you can't ride trees or backcountry. Trees maybe will be an issue if you hit one, but ripping wide open bc bowls. You're less likely to hurt yourself falling into pow than falling on a icy groomer. Get a good PT that will help you build your core muscles back up and then easy step it. No one on here can say whether you'll be able to ride again or not, but you know if you can or not.





Anticrobotic said:


> Werd. Doctors know a lot about surgery and medications, and that's about where it ends.


Hah, thanks guys. Yeah, I'm sure he's not an expert in terms of telling me what would be more appropriate. Though, I would imagine skiing would be less falling at least after you get better at it. At least it seems that way from the people I know.

But yeah, you're right. I won't really know unless I try it out and not push it. PT / training I start up again in 2 months. Surgeon recommends I do neither for the first 3 months.



jdang307 said:


> Peyton Manning is playing football with a fusion in his neck.
> 
> Ndamukong Suh is much worse for your health than snowboarding. Just don't get crazy.


Funny you mention Manning as I actually was reading an article about him and his injuries while I was searching for people that still go back to their sports after injuries / sports. But yeah, "crazy" not an option anymore




neni said:


> First off, I didn't have spinal fusion so I can't address your question with personal experience. Just some thoughts on your questions...
> 
> Of course you are less likely to fall with skis than with a board in general. However, this shifts if you compare a beginner skier (which you'd be) to a seasoned rider (are you?). If you have a certain riding level and don't push it, avoid certain situations like exercising new stuff, you _can_ ride without falls. E.g. I had ruptured discs and been riding abyway (against the recommendation of physicians. They were also concerned about potential falls). I just rode bit more cautiously; and didn't fall - on groomers as well as backcountry.
> 
> ...


I wouldn't say I'm an expert. My back issues is one of the reasons I haven't progressed as quickly as I should have but I ride black diamonds in the East Coast just fine and a little slower in places like Jackson Hole / Whistler but I do ride them. Been in bowls and glades with the latter being really slow as I'm always afraid of slamming into something. If it's a powder day, I'll ride whatever.

But yeah, the surgeon's main concern is that I may fall on my ass / back and thinks it would be better that I didn't ride. My PTs did say that I should be able to ride again but just recommend that I don't try to push my limits.

I actually bought this 2 years ago...

POC Spine VPD 2.0 Vest - Body Armor | Backcountry.com

I didn't get to use it much though as by then I already had to start cutting back on the riding. Not sure if it was the best fit so I'll have to see if / when I do ride again. I was thinking of adding other protective gear as well


----------



## timmytard (Mar 19, 2009)

While I don't have your particular problem, I've shattered my tailbone, which crippled me for more than a year.
Couldn't drive a standard for 2 or ride for 3.
Compressed discs in my neck, from the uber technically difficult underwater scorpion.
Right heel collapsed, just like an egg. Pieced back together, then cleaned from the inside out for 6 months.
I could go on & on & on.:blahblah: You get the point.

Having said that, every injury is different & ONLY YOU k ow if you will be able too.

And having said that.

You'll go again, I already know you will.
Awesome hey, you know you will too, don't chya?
Haha, noice.

You will be limited to which days you can go though.
Depending on what kind of condition your in?

You may be limited to powder only, but that's the worst case scenario.

I've been trying to talk the guy in my "help me" thread into going snowboarding again. I keep telling him I'm gonna drug him & drop him off @ the top of a powder covered peak.

He doesn't think he will be able to do it?
I know for a fact, that he can.:eyetwityou

If you can stand, you can snowboard.
Straight up, if you can stand in one spot, you ride.

I've gone ridin' when I couldn't walk.:hairy:
Lifting my leg, holy fuck, no thank you.
Snowboarding is honestly, one one last things you can't do, out of anything.
Sitting, standing up, rolling over, hobbling to the bathroom to take a piss.
All incredibly painful, difficult tasks that you'd/I'd rather avoid.

Snowboarding, super fuckin' easy. 
Stand in one spot, & ever so slightly lean back & forth.

The wiping out aspect off it?
You can't, that is NOT an option.

I am/was fully aware of what would happen, if I ate shit.
Worst case scenario, I'm dead. Not just crippled, I'm toast.

I went last year on the last day of the season. Blew out my knee @ the beginning of the season. Missed the whole thing, I couldn't walk yet or bend my knee at all.
But, I knew I could snowboard.:jumping1:

It was still too early though. I could snowboard, but even the groomers were to bumpy, I rode for maybe 3 min & realized, I wasn't ready.
Haha, too late, I'm at the top.

I had to make a tough call. 
There was fluffy snow out there that day, only problem, it's in the no go zone.
My local mtn has an area that, normal people don't go/allowed to go.
"DANGER PERMANTLY CLOSED" it's called & when it's good in there, it's lime nowhere else in the world.
When it's not, people die in there. Fo REALZ.
I had to go in there, I didn't really have a choice.
Nobody really goes in this area, it's cliff after cliff, with downed trees everywhere. Skewers stickin' out of the ground the entire way down.

I tried to get F1EA & 2 other guys to come in there with me, but, they laughed in my face. Thanks guys.:finger1:

So if I went down in there, that would have been my final resting place.

YOU gotta know, in your heart & soul. If you can do it.
Nobody can tell you whether you can or can't.
This one's ALL on you, the consequences of fuckin' up are LARGE & that's putting it lightly.

If you want it badly enough, you'll ride again.


TT


----------



## larrytbull (Oct 30, 2013)

Although I have not had a fusion
I did have a discectemy (c5-7) which they shaved the burst and prolapsed discs.
I also had 4 scopes done (2 on each knee)
I can still ride. 
there are certain things that I avoid, like park, and big jumps.
I wear full body armor (demon snow jackect and newly Purchased D30 Pants), and helmet/Level GLoves.

Just remember your limitations, and slowly approach any new skill or challenge, and you should be fine. Once you get comfortable, then start to slowly push the limits.

This is the strategy that I employ, conservative, but forward moving


----------



## jdang307 (Feb 6, 2011)

I'm about to start mountain biking so I'll need to look into some of these back protectors as they'll serve double duty.


----------



## chomps1211 (Mar 30, 2011)

jdang307 said:


> I'm about to start mountain biking so I'll need to look into some of these back protectors as they'll serve double duty.


Hmnnnn,.. While I'm no MTB expert, I'm not sure a spine protector is worth the expense or trouble for your average trail rides. I mean unless you plan to get really gnarly, jumping or racing or something. :dunno: 

None of my MTB crashes or falls have landed me on my back. (...And I've done a couple full on "Super Man's" over my bars in the past.) :laugh: Now,... Hip, elbow, knee protection? That would have come in VERY handy for those! :lol:


As for riding after fusion surgery? One of the first things I asked my surgeon when he recommended the fusion was "Would I be able to snowboard after?" He said as long as things heal properly, there wasn't any reason why I shouldn't be able to! My fusion is at L2/3.


----------



## jdang307 (Feb 6, 2011)

Popped my cherry last week on a MTB and the trail we took had rocks everywhere, including on the trail. Up, and over small rocks, boulders on the side of you, went through a rock canyon. I can't see any reason someone wouldn't fall on their back


----------



## Mystery2many (Aug 14, 2013)

I think you're better off riding than skiing because you already know how to ride. Automatically you'll be more aware and protective of yourself when you ride again. The doctor is a skier and skiers always hate on snowboarders and snowboarding, especially the doctor skier types. I would invest in a good pair of butt pads for the random chance you fall on your butt and it'll absorb some of the impact from transferring up your back. 

I would suggest making sure you're fully healed and build your strength and mobility back up before doing any potentially dangerous sports.


----------



## jdang307 (Feb 6, 2011)

When your doctor clears you for skiing, go boarding.


----------



## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

jdang307 said:


> When your doctor clears you for skiing, go boarding.


Or ask a different doc. Preferentially one who does the sport or at least other sports.


----------



## f00bar (Mar 6, 2014)

Why bother asking around. You've made up your mind, and eventually you'd find one that agrees. Just go.


----------



## Trabi75 (Dec 12, 2014)

I had hip surgery a month ago and I plan to ride in the next season. Ihad people tell me to give it up(bit my doc though he said I'm too young to give things up) if it doesn't work out I'm gonna be real bummed. Ultimately it's up to you to make these decisions. Take it easy at first that's what I plan to do. If I'm mit strong enough by November in getting reimbursed for my pass and wait another year. I'm not doing this surgery and riding things just to get an extra season in and risk the rest of my life or something. Like wad said take your time and be comfortable with what you can do


----------



## Scrannel (Dec 28, 2015)

Just had lumbar fusion: ten hour surgery, twenty-four bolts, all that. The biggest issue (at least from my point of view) is the lower back fusion. This is where we can really twist when boarding. Short of a body plant into a oak, that would be my main concern.


----------



## andy_d (Jan 14, 2011)

Can't believe it's been seven months since I posted this. I actually had some scares going on with my post op and wasn't sure what my outcome would be. It's now been 8 months and sometimes I feel like I never had any issues. But there are also other times that I wonder if I made the right choice - mostly triggered by sitting at work. Pushing to get a stand / sit desk so I'm not sitting for long stretches.

I'm still not sure what I will end up doing. Part of me wants to grab my board and go enjoy the West Coast snow. The other part of me thinks that I probably should wait a few months or next season to give it a go. 

Trabi - hope everything is going well post op for you and that you'll be back on the slopes this soon or have already

Scrannel - sorry to hear that you had to go through surgery as well. Hope you recover quickly and you feel better soon! Yeah, I have a lower fusion as well which the twisting could be problematic. Just falling on my ass will be too which definitely has happened.


----------



## jae (Nov 27, 2015)

danny davis got a spinal fusion on his lumbar veretebre 2,3,4 and he shattered his pelvis... just sayin.. :wink: Probably did insane amounts of physical therapy. G'luck OP and scrammel. You can do it!


----------



## chomps1211 (Mar 30, 2011)

Had an L-2/3 fusion after a failed discectomy Sept 2014. I missed the entire '14/15 season. I got out 2 weekends ago for the first time since the surgery!

I didn't have any trouble with my back. Had a hard fall or two on a couple of lift dismounts and again, no back pain. My biggest problem right now is lack of conditioning. :shrug:

I do however frequently still experience pain at work from sitting/bouncing around while driving my rig etc. So take that for what it's worth!


----------



## Fewdfreak (May 13, 2013)

Good to hear you got out on the slopes, Chomps! I am stoked for you. Now that we midwest riders are finally a semblance of winter weather and riding opportunities, I hope to hear more.


----------



## stillz (Jan 5, 2010)

This is such a tough thing to address, since every body is different and so is every injury/surgery/recovery. Above all, listen to your body. Only you can know if you're strong enough to take falls and mobile enough to make certain movements. For most riding, you'll probably have plenty of mobility. For advanced terrain and techniques, there's a major difference between skiing and snowboarding that is worth knowing about.

I'm not suggesting that you ski, but alpine skiers do twist at the spine a lot less than we do. They steer the skis primarily by rotating the femurs inside the hip sockets. That's where their upper/lower body separation occurs. For short radius turns on a snowboard where upper/lower body separation is most efficient, we do a lot of spinal twisting. For larger turns where we can just stay aligned with the board, you don't need to twist much at all.

If it were me, I'd make sure everything heals properly, then I'd build up my core strength, then try to ease back into riding. Depending on how much or little your spinal mobility is reduced, you may be able to ride just fine, but ease into it gradually. If the mobility just isn't there, understand that high-level skiing requires less of it than does high-level, technical snowboarding. Sliding around on snow is always better than not, regardless of what you wear on your feet. Good luck, be safe, and enjoy the mountains however you can.


----------



## Scrannel (Dec 28, 2015)

Right. I went in for surgery on November 16th. I have a 27" scar up my spine where nearly every vertebrae was fused, 24 bolts plus a nice glob of cadaver bone at the base of my spine. All that has to heal. (I also have two complete knee replacements). I'm riding rollers on my mountain bike and driving... but... Yesterday my son was heading up to Mammoth, gave him my new board to "break in" for me. I guess next season will know if he gets to keep it.


----------



## Raespann (Dec 4, 2016)

*Still ride...Fused C1-C2*

I broke my neck snowboarding and my surgery was 1-1/2 years ago. I still snowboard and backpack. Yes I'm a little freaked out ridin on groomers with 500 people mostly because I've lost a considerable amount of rotation in my neck but I'll be honest, for me the idea of stopping everything I love to do is a tragedy in itself, almost equivalent to death. I'm cautious with some things now but I'm going to live my life to the fullest and enjoy every minute of it. One day we'll all be elderly and I'm going to be at peace knowing I lived my life the way I did without any type of I coulda...woulda...shoulda.


----------

