The end of my bike riding career? I hope not !

[Dai]

Looks like my riding days are going to be seriously curtailed.

After 35 years on the saddle it looks as though age has finally done the dirty on me and the casualty will be bike riding.

Not totally ruled out but severely curtailed.

Why?

After 50 years of puttingh my body through all kinds of abuse it has retailated and my lower back has "spat the dummy"

Had a n operation 6 years ago that supposedly fixed the problem, prolapsed discs at L4-L5 .L5-S1 and S1-S2.

I Spent 5 months in hospital after that one recovering from the infections I received whilst there, and learning to walk again.

For the past few weeks the back has been very sore and I have been looking at getting the suspension rebuilt. I held off too long through lack of funds and now I doubt if any amount of suspension rebuild is going to make it easy on the lower back. Last Friday whilst moving the bike down my drive I had recourse to put the bike on its side stand, guess what I didnt extend it fully and the weight of the bike caused it to topple over. In toppling over it came to rest on my thighs and knees, pinnig me against the side of the house.

I had to resort to lifting the bike off my body and righting it in an incorrect method. Ping, the back goes and agony sets in.

Spent the weekend hobling around at what can only be considered a snails pace. Not sleeping at night as the back will not allow me to get into a comfortable position for very long.

Came to work this morning, actually rode the bike and hav3e spent the last 2 hours paying for it. NZ roads, even your motorways, are very bumpy.

The girlfriend has insisted that tonight I go to the doctor. It was an accident so hopefully ACC will cover me.

My only worry is that they may claim it is a pre exsting injury and refuse me ACC, if this happens I'm screwed as there is no way in hell I can afford the costs of medical care in NZ.

Rant over. Back to work (ha ha, only one in the office today).

Feeling very sore, uncomfortable and sorry for myself.

[MSTRS]

Bugger. But I suspect it will be the 6" between your ears, rather than the 6" of spine that stops you....
Good luck with the rest of it

[crashe]

Never say never..........



Wait until you have seen the doctor....... you may be lucky.




Or get a TRIKE to ride or switch from sportbike to cruiser bike.



I have a shocking bad back and a cruiser is fine for my back.

[eviltwin]

ACC are fuckin useless!

ignore the 'old' injury, tell them you fucked your back (new injury) dropping your bike and get it sorted.

you have to get right up in their face if you want to get yourself fixed up bro, my x-wife broke her back and they basically kick her to the kerb after 12 months.

i did my fuckin nut at the cunts and finally got her back on track, if they don't hear you they won't listen.

re the bike: sell it and get a lighter one!

good luck bro.

[zadok]

Sorry to hear mate. Maybe a different bike with a better riding position to suit you and a back brace might do the job.

[Joni]

You are only defeated once you accept defeat...

See the Doctor, hear what he has to say... dont make presumptions you never know what he will say.
Then remember you are the master of your own destiny... the mind is an amazing tool! :yes:

Good luck!
:ride:

[heyjoe]

Go and see the Doc to the get the ball rolling to get some answers I suggest. Get an opinion. Ask questions. Get another opinion if you don't like the first opinion. Discuss and be informed.
Good luck.

[avgas]

you cant give up man - my leg still feels like its been shot with buck shot when i ride.....i just have to take more breaks etc.
Hope things all work out for you ACC wise.
Best of luck

[imdying]

Shit bro, you're 50 and have a girlfriend, it's not all bad :lol:

[magicfairy]

Where are you ? Wellington by any chance. Get your doctor to refer you (or refer self once ACC are involved) to the back clinic at Wakefield Hospital. ACC will pay most if not all.
Helped my other half get back on his bike after trying to catch it when it fell and prolapsing the disk. Doctor was useless, treated him like some ACC skiver trying to get time off work. Back clinic gave him excercises, goals to work towards and lots of education about what he had done and how to fix it, avoid it again.
Not the only person I know who the back clinic has helped in a big way.

[davereid]

Yep, shorter trips, maybe a lighter bike. But if you want to keep riding, you will.

[Skyryder]

Sorry to hear of your misfortune Dai. If ACC gives you any shit 'troop' of down to your local MP. You have paid a shit load in tax now you need it back by way of ACC.

Skyryder

[Beemer]

Shit bro, you're 50 and have a girlfriend, it's not all bad :lol:

Seconded! Get to see a doctor, hopefully it may be less serious than you think and you could be right as rain in no time. Getting a lighter bike is a good idea, but a trike? Lord spare us! You may find that an upright trail-type riding position may be okay too, which is an alternative to a cruiser.

[Deviant Esq]

Bummer mate, sorry to hear about your misfortune. Don't blame yourself for using incorrect method to pick the bike up again, anyone else would've done the same, myself included. Time to visit the doctor, but as has been mentioned, treat it as a new injury with ACC. I think enough time has passed since the last one that it should be considered a new injury anyway. Try not to put any more stress on the back, and for god's sake don't go to work! Your back matters too much to risk it getting any worse by working. Hell, even better, retire! Plenty of time to mend it properly and get back on two wheels. :ride:

Best of luck to you, here's hoping all goes well. Keep us posted.

[RT527]

And what ever you do do not take advice to lie on your back for a week...that will only intensify your problem, rest, does help but only in moderation with exercise of the back , dont arch but rather stoop forward.....I went to the doc with a very saw back and was told to lie on my back for a week, I immediatly went for a 2nd opinion at another doctor and he referred me onto a Chiropractor who x-rayed then did and electrical impulse test , or what ever you call it and found about 8 discs which were not in the correct posistion , or slipped , and after about 2 days of work with him on my back i was able to walk normally , well as normal as knuckle dragging will allow lol.

Thing is dont trust the 1 doctors opinion , even if youve been going to them for years.And if i was 50 with a girlfriend I`d be wanting it fixed ASAP!!!.

[Clivoris]

Good luck man, I hope you can get it sussed. I've always found swimming a few lengths of the local pool a good way to get my spine moving and healing again after injury. Seems like yours is a wee bit more serious than what I've ever had to deal with though. As cool as bikes are, walking freely and without pain is pretty good too. I know what I would chose if I had too.

[Ixion]

Oh dear. Very sorry to hear that. Backs can be the very devil. You seem to have been most unfortunate having trouble at a relatively young age. Good luck, and bear in mind that if one doctor doesn't behave, move on to another.

I have some not trivial experience in dealing with ACC, don't heistate to drop me a line if I can assist. Unfortunately, I suspect that you are right and they will class it as a pre existing condition.

[magicfairy]

And what ever you do do not take advice to lie on your back for a week....

Although in most situations lying on your back for a week is not the right thing to do, it does depend on the injury.
A seriously prolapsed disc take about 9 months to properly heal, not a few days. The disc develops a tear and the material in it that aborbs shock leaks out, putting pressure on the nerves running by. The disc gets a little split in it.

In the early days the treatment is try and avoid any movement that keeps putting strain on that tear, which does not allow it to start mending. And so much depends on which part of the disc is prolapsed.

To be honest with what I have seen of serious disc prolapses (I am an ex-nurse and had a partner go thru a prolapsed disc) I WOULD lie on my back for a week. I have heard orthopaedic surgeons say this - just so the tear in the disc can start healing. But for most other back pain lying in bed is bad.

What is really important is to remember what worked for someones elses back may the absolutely wrong thing for you. Disc prolapses are not the same as strained, torn muscles or ligament damage.

Go to your GP for starters, remember they are not experts in backs, and any half way decent GP should appreciate the seriousness of the injury and refer to physios, back clinics or even surgeon if the problem doesn't start resolving in a week or 2.
Back are very complex things, injuries often cannot be seen on X-Ray and blindly following advice giving out by others who have also "done their backs in" could not only slow down healing but make matters worse.


Rant over

[Swoop]

if i was 50 with a girlfriend I`d be wanting it fixed ASAP!!!.

Especially before the wife found out... :whistle:

I hope it all ends OK Dai. Backs are not something to be trifled with.

[gijoe1313]

Ahh sorry to hear about that Dai, I've had me fair share of back problems ... but nothing like what you're going through :no: Shizen...you're a hard man to ride to work with the pain you're putting yourself through!

Hang tough, sort out your options...and it sounds like there are people here who've fought the battles you will be fighting now! And as the old James Bond movie goes...never say never!

[Paul in NZ]

What a bastard.... Vickis had a shocking back (hospital a couple of times) but she still troops on after a lot of recovery effort.

Couple of things....

ACC is NOT useless - stats wise they are actually VERY good at rehabilitating you once you are in the system. It's just getting into the system than can be a challange.

NZ has the McKenzie institute (Robin McKenzie) http://www.mckenziemdt.org/index.cfm which is a world leader in treating back pain. His book - Treat your own back - is a bloody marvel and well worth a read.

Hope this helps

Paul N

[Colapop]

Did anyone else see that article (Dom -post??) about the screw in pin they can put in your lower back? It has an adjustable tensioner/separator and relieves lower back spinal compression pain by up to 90% apparently.

[Dai]

Thank you all for your kind words of encouragement.

So far today I have ridden a total of 62kn in two parts. Each time it has damm near crippled me once I get off the bike (maybe I shouldnt). Using the back brake for any reason in very painful.

Just spent a couple of hours either sitting or lying on my bed. Only now do I feel like getting up and moving around a bit.

Its going to be hard convincing the docs and ACC that it isnt a pre existing injury. I have a lovely scar running from the small of my back to the crack in my arse from the operation botch up in the UK.

Took me 10 years of going to the docs over there, going to everysort of treatment they could think of, before they MRI' d my spine. Found that the spinal cord was pushed into an S shape and was 3/4 constricted. Two days later I was being operated on. 6 days after that I was in intensive care with septisemia (blood poisoning) that resulted in 1 month in hospital. 4 weeks after that back in hospital as the poisoning/infection had progressed to my spinal chord and I was in agony. To give you some idea, I was on 1000mg of Tramadol a day and that wasnt helping the pain. 70 pills of all sorts of drugs a day and I was like a zombie. The last visit was for 3 1/2 months.

Got to get the back strong again before I contemplate any sort of distance on a bike. I only ride it to work as it is my only means of transport, never had a car licence in my 50 years.

Rebuild forks, rebuild rear shocks, raise handlebars and move footpegs. Definitely on the agenda as finances allow. I'd hit the banks for a loan but dont have much of a credit rating as I have been overseads on my OE for 25 years and have a limited credit history. Have to do it the hard way and save the cash.

Girlfriend all for continuing on the bikes if I can as she has enjoyed the rides she pillioned on. Lots of support there.

AS I said in my earlier post I am feeling my age, my injury and very sorry for myself. I have been so careful over the last 6 years since the op with any sort of lifting or heavy work. One little slip and I'm knackered.

Thanks again for the comments.

[RT527]

Although in most situations lying on your back for a week is not the right thing to do, it does depend on the injury.
A seriously prolapsed disc take about 9 months to properly heal, not a few days. The disc develops a tear and the material in it that aborbs shock leaks out, putting pressure on the nerves running by. The disc gets a little split in it.

In the early days the treatment is try and avoid any movement that keeps putting strain on that tear, which does not allow it to start mending. And so much depends on which part of the disc is prolapsed.

To be honest with what I have seen of serious disc prolapses (I am an ex-nurse and had a partner go thru a prolapsed disc) I WOULD lie on my back for a week. I have heard orthopaedic surgeons say this - just so the tear in the disc can start healing. But for most other back pain lying in bed is bad.

What is really important is to remember what worked for someones elses back may the absolutely wrong thing for you. Disc prolapses are not the same as strained, torn muscles or ligament damage.

Go to your GP for starters, remember they are not experts in backs, and any half way decent GP should appreciate the seriousness of the injury and refer to physios, back clinics or even surgeon if the problem doesn't start resolving in a week or 2.
Back are very complex things, injuries often cannot be seen on X-Ray and blindly following advice giving out by others who have also "done their backs in" could not only slow down healing but make matters worse.


Rant over

Yup sorry should have quantified it...my point was to get a 2nd opinion ....

[Indiana_Jones]

Or get a TRIKE to ride or switch from sportbike to cruiser bike.
I have a shocking bad back and a cruiser is fine for my back.

What Crashe said, Get a Bonnie :D

-Indy

[sillywilly]

sorry to hear this dai,might be time if you can to trade the clip-ons for a cruiser,i'm sure one of those suzuki boulevards would be easier on the back.motor finance seems to be available to all sorts of dead-beats these days, you wouldn't have any trouble,respectable fella like ur self.
anyway good luck with it,hope we see ya on a thursday nite again eventually

[ManDownUnder]

I won't repeat all that has been posted before me - but good luck
MDU

[Edbear]

the mind is an amazing tool! :yes:



Yep! My mind's really amazing...:gob:


Sympathies, I know what a back injury is like! Wore a brace for years and still have trouble. Actually asking the Doc today about getting another one. Had a lightweight one which was great and fitted under clothes quite well.

I'd certainly see if another style of bike worked better before giving up, too!