Back Surgery

by Steve, Thursday, January 03, 2013, 18:30 (4288 days ago) @ Dave B

Up until last spring, I used to do power lifting and olympic lifting. However, as I got older (54 years old now) I became less flexible putting more pressure on my lower back. I ruptured a disk in my lower back in March 2012. Since I did not have numbness or loss of motor control, I elected not to have surgery - it was a 9 month recovery process, though. This past summer, the pain was terrible, and I would have to walk for a half hour each morning before I could even bear to sit down. Now, I can do "normal" activities and started jogging, biking, and light weight lifting. I talked with a lot of people who have had back surgery, and half of them had complications, so I decided the risk was not worth it. Unless it is imperative to protect from nerve damage, I would recommend not having surgery unless you are convinced that you absolutely, positively, need it. Four years ago, one of the American olympic lifters competed in the olympics after having surgery on a ruptured disk so it can be successful! They waited until the surgery could be done without a large incision. However, if you do not need to compete physically, surgery always comes with the risk of complications.