# Boarding with a Herniated Disc



## NYinfamous2k2

Whats up, Im trying to see how many of you guy have herniated dics's and if you have any specific things you do or wear to protect yourself to lessen the chance or re-injuring it. I actually have 3 herniated disc's 2 from when I was younger but this third one was from boarding 2 yrs ago, which has really been bothering me. it put me out for the end of that season, and I re-injured it last season that put me out for a month of last season. I dont want that to happen again, so for the past few months I have been going to Physical therapy and doing core and lower back exercises. But I wanted to know if any of you have any sucessful methods that have got you thru the season with this problem such as, back braces, sport tape, Taking pills such as Ibprofin before boarding (recommended to me from doc), any special stretches, Icyin methods, anything, ill take all the information that I can get. as of right now my back is feeling kind of sketchy so I know going all out with out any preventative measures wont end well. 

Thanks


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## Ocho

I had two (simultaneously) late last season, but not from snowboarding. Sucked. Terrible pain, as you know. 

Inversion therapy is awesome. If you can get a table, it's SO worth it. A good massage therapist and Chiro are helpful, too.

As for supplements, New Chapter makes a product called Zyflamend that helps inflammation.


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## NYinfamous2k2

EatRideSleep said:


> I had two (simultaneously) late last season, but not from snowboarding. Sucked. Terrible pain, as you know.
> 
> Inversion therapy is awesome. If you can get a table, it's SO worth it. A good massage therapist and Chiro are helpful, too.
> 
> As for supplements, New Chapter makes a product called Zyflamend that helps inflammation.


Cool, Ill definitely check out that supplement. As for an inversion table I hear you, I bought one last year had it for a while, and inversion does help but I sold it because it was way to big and bulky as I kept it in my bedroom. after selling it and regreted not having any inversion therapy I purchased a pair of inversion boots that hook right up to my pullup bar. They work great but the benifit of the table was you can go to less degree angles if pain is severe where as the boots its 100% inverted all the time but, still gets the job done. Funny you mention the massage therapist I just linked up with the massage therapist that works at my Physical therapy place. since my slum ass insurance just cut me off she said she does work on the side also which I will be contacting her since this is probably the only massage therapist that actually alleviated pain vs just a rub down. thanks for the info E.R.S.


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## Ocho

You're welcome!

Zyflamend does more for me than otc pharm nsaids. It's gentler on the body while still effective.

Sounds like you're on a good path. It's all about prevention when it comes to back and disc issues imo.

Yeah, the table is big but has the benefits like you mentioned. I like being able to (slowly if needed) pivot back to vertical to disconnect the ankle part. With the boots I assume you curl up to detach?

Cool that you have a massage therapist. This is an area I know a lot about. And you're absolutely right - you need a serious massage therapist, which is often very different than the kind you find in spas, etc. Connecting with the one from your PT place is a great idea. Maybe she offers discounted self-pay (cash) rates?

Oh I have a stretch my Chiro suggested that I find helps. It's designed to help restore the natural "S" curve of the spine. When I can get to it, I'll see if I can either post it here or pm it to you.


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## NYinfamous2k2

Yea since my ins cut me off thats the only way I will be able to go. didnt ask about rates just linked up and made sure it was possible but I dont think it will be to crazy. and yea non of that spa rub down crap, she does a little bit of everything, aligns my spine, decompression and knocks those muscles loose. yea man shoot me a pm with that stretch that would be great. that Zyflamend, doesnt interfere with you while boarding? Ive taken prescription muscle relaxers while boarding and that was a bad idea, felt like a rag doll floating down the mt. 

Thanks


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## Ocho

NYinfamous2k2 said:


> yea man shoot me a pm with that stretch that would be great. that Zyflamend, doesnt interfere with you while boarding? Ive taken prescription muscle relaxers while boarding and that was a bad idea, felt like a rag doll floating down the mt.
> 
> Thanks


Sure but your inbox is full. 

Nope, not at all. It's natural and herbal. No drowsiness or floating ragdoll side effects. If anything, some of the herbs are thermogenic and might warm you up on the hill as a side effect.


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## Kwanzaa

I've got one last year and i wear a back protector and crash pads now, they help out quite a bit. Falling doesn't hurt, but your still going to be soar because of general bouncing and what not.

If you feel sketchy don't take jumps. I hit 4 jumps, 3 months after i got mine and i was done for the day.


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## slyder

I would also recommend skipping the jumps. One flat landing and that will send pain straight up your spine. Don't think it is worth it. I have a bad back as well and I am very cautious about riding and my park exploits. 
BioFreeze is another great product. I swear by a Chiropractor, and our family uses a lot of the Market America products to keep healthy.

Hope things go well and you stay healthy


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## Ocho

slyder said:


> I would also recommend skipping the jumps. One flat landing and that will send pain straight up your spine. Don't think it is worth it. I have a bad back as well and I am very cautious about riding and my park exploits.
> BioFreeze is another great product. I swear by a Chiropractor, and our family uses a lot of the Market America products to keep healthy.
> 
> Hope things go well and you stay healthy


Oh yeah, BioFreeze! I forgot about that..I keep one on hand in my backpack.


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## NYinfamous2k2

Thanks everyone for the tips, made it through the first boarding trip and still able to walk so thats a good sign. planned on taking it easy but when im ride Its really hard for me to dial it back and not go all out 24/7. slyder - I hear ya on the jumps I couldnt help myself a few times and hit some kickers on the runs landing flat totally sent a shock wave up my back. might have to cut that out for a while. EatRideSleep, thanks again for all the info, that Zyflamend works great. took it just like you recommended but I also took a few ibprofin with it, was achy from the minute I woke up so I figured id take some ib also. another thing I used was this sport tape called kinesio tape. its suppost to be really benificial so I bought a roll and tried it. seemed to work well. all I know is I went pretty hard this trip and I got worked on this hard left carve I was doing at almost top speed landing right on my back. I know if I wouldnt have done any of this prep for my back I would have been out of commision from the sheer force I landed on my back with. I thought for sure my back was going to lock up and I wouldnt be able to stand (which happend to me a few times in the past , was out for months)but stood up had full mobility and kept it moving. alittle sore today, but being carful and doing alot of icing. but like I said im still walking so thats all I need lol. thanks again.


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## Danger Mouse

I have 2 herniated disks. I just barely started snowboarding. I haven't had any problems yet. I mainly do a lot of distance road biking and it's got you in this hunched over position which is killer on the back. I've had days where the disks pinch nerves in my legs and shooting pain to where I can't walk. I've had to roll out of bed and crawl using my arms to pull myself to the bathroom, push myself on to the toilet just to take a leak. There are also times where I have to sleep in a sitting position because lying down hurts too much. By far the best thing that's helped me manage my back pain is working out. Get your abs nice and strong. If you do back extensions you might want reconsider not doing them. My brother, who's a certified personal trainer, and my chiro both recommended that I don't do back extensions. I've also had to stop doing squats, which is something I really like. As soon as that weight is on my shoulders I can feel it in my back. I also try to maintain a very health weight. When my weight goes up a few pounds I will start feeling it in my back.


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## NYinfamous2k2

Danger Mouse said:


> I have 2 herniated disks. I just barely started snowboarding. I haven't had any problems yet. I mainly do a lot of distance road biking and it's got you in this hunched over position which is killer on the back. I've had days where the disks pinch nerves in my legs and shooting pain to where I can't walk. I've had to roll out of bed and crawl using my arms to pull myself to the bathroom, push myself on to the toilet just to take a leak. There are also times where I have to sleep in a sitting position because lying down hurts too much. By far the best thing that's helped me manage my back pain is working out. Get your abs nice and strong. If you do back extensions you might want reconsider not doing them. My brother, who's a certified personal trainer, and my chiro both recommended that I don't do back extensions. I've also had to stop doing squats, which is something I really like. As soon as that weight is on my shoulders I can feel it in my back. I also try to maintain a very health weight. When my weight goes up a few pounds I will start feeling it in my back.


OH man I can totally relate to all of those situations. when I originally hurt my back I was literally stuck in a crouched position for a week. fun stuff. NA I never do squats lol I did do back extensions when in physical therapy for the past 3 months but my cheap ass ins cut me off so no more of those either. I mainly do stretches and some abs and core training. havent even hit the gym in months. I hear you theres a long list of things that I know to avoid now because I know I will feel it in my back. Sux getting old doesnt it.


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## doktrin

I have a bulging (not fully herniated) cervical disc from MMA. Snowboarding has actually been fine for me (knock on wood). I don't bomb at mach 5 and tend to hit smaller park features, though. 

That said, my injury is a good 5 years old at this point. I did the whole PT thing back then as well. Unfortunately, while I can still ride fine I have not been in any fights since the injury - just not really worth it. 

As with anything else, stretching and getting warmed up is key. I personally tend to forget this when riding, though I'm religious about it before lifting or any kind of cardio (including sparring). 

This year, I'm thinking of investing in a full suite of protective gear (spine, knees, helmet for sure). The price tag is super annoying, but ultimately if it helps it's completely worth it. 

Some general tips that have helped me :

- Good nutrition : anti inflammatory, lots of fruits and vegetables, not too much alcohol while riding
- Stretching / warm up : super important, IMO
- Less risky features : personally, I don't do rails anymore, and stick to 10-20 foot booters. 
- Sleep : this really can't be overstated.


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## COB

I still snowboard (49 years old), but absolutley no jumps or any park. I'd give up jumping or anything that jars your body. A lot of the type of damage you want to avoid is cumulative from all the small jolts you take. An acute impact of course could do the same thing, but just avoiding the acute impact won't protect your spine.

Below is my spine. It is held together with a plate and 4 screws after I had anterior diskectomy/cervical fusion several years ago. The disc underneath it is about shot, and it gives me more pain than the repaired disc does. Good luck!


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## forestfalcon

This is all great info. I, too, have a ruptured disc in my low back (not snowboarding related,) and thus far, my main way of not getting hurt on the hill is to fall on my face, or a full body crash on my back. :laugh: But seriously, I guess I've just been lucky not to land square on my tailbone. EatRideSleep, where do you get that supplement? You may have mentioned it already, and I just didn't see it...


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## Danger Mouse

Another thing I could suggest is wearing a light back brace. I wear one one sometimes when I have to do something a bit more rigorous. It can feel a bit restricting at times, but I find it does really help lessen the stress on my back. I got mine at Walgreens for pretty cheap.


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