I broke my back, compressions - anyone done similar?

[longwhitecloud]

I didn't do it kiting tho! (did it skating)

i did a 45% and 25% compression t1 and t2 (chord - all good... )

anyone been though this? it sucks much worse than i thought it would... i am 3 months in and no way i could anywhere near kite and it is really windy this week! sleeping at night is a nightmare - but daytime actually weirdly failry ok and can do stuff!! I have swum 60km since doing it which i hope has helped....

is 9months more realistic? windy season is here > sucks sucks sucks!

jazuz i am going to end up on a foilbored! lol - hopefully not... :-0

[Dave_5280]

I had a 60% on L1, 11 hour surgery fused it with half of one of my ribs and rods to stabilize it. Took 18 months for the fused bone to grow and harden, then PT and a few Pilates sessions. I can do anything(run, ski, kite, and golf) and have no pain. I had a great neurosurgeon with bone training that did the surgery and a friend whose a doctor told me that is the kind of doc you want since the back is all about taking care of the nerves.

[Matt Air]

T1 and T2 (very high back) compression fractures which are rarer and more serious? or L1, L2 compression fractures (lumbar) which are much common.

Compression fractures vary in stability. Most do not require a fusion but depends on extend of fracture and location. Healing time usually 2 months, but can be longer if bones are soft or if a burst type fracture for example. I wouldn't expect longer than 6 months. A MRI can look for edema to see if fracture is healing. If fracture is healed, there should not be pain. Often soft tissue injuries associated with the fracture like ligaments can take longer to heal, such as ligament damage. Bones typically heal in 6-8 weeks. I'm a spine physician but obviously this advice is limited without exam, imaging, etc.

[longwhitecloud]

thx

my mistake.... ill find my paperwork to confirm, but i am pretty sure it was t3 and t4

i had a 2 month xray and they said it looked all good - no more wedged than it started out.. :-0

pain is mainly sleeping from 4am and after trying out exercise a day or 2 after.

life before my big slam!! >

[vimeo]176799159[/vimeo]

[Kiteaddicted]

I got a hairline fracture of s5 (sacrum near tailbone). Was jet skiing after work one Friday. somehow managed to get myself thrown and land with my back hitting the jet ski. It was one of those sit down non-trick types. Like the style people use for fishing. Still can't work out how I did it but was winded. Didn't realise how serious so took some Panadol. That weekend went for long motorbike ride then played basketball. Still not right Monday so went to the doctor. Was referred to hospital and to go right away. Was rushed through and was told to stay put once x-Rays complete (don't move!).Got told too stay home for the rest of the week...learnt how much we take mobility for granted. Si

[lewmt]

I broke my C-7 (kiting ) Had the fusion surgery C-7/T-1.

Aftermath was gruesome until I started going out with my splitboard & skins - basically x-country skiing mellow terrain. Dr was mortified because I was doing this 3 weeks after surgery. I just thought I'd listen to my body & it would tell me if I was messing myself up. It kept telling me to keep going. Every time I went out I felt so much better in the painful regions as well as everywhere else. Within 3 months I was doing full-on backcountry trips & snowboard descents. Every outing helped. If you're not near snow an elliptical would closely resemble that same range of motion, be minimal impact on the locations of concern & perhaps help like my backcountry stuff did. I was 51 when this happened if that matters.

Oh - & get off pain meds as fast as possible. That crap just keeps you glued to a couch it seems

[Starsky]

Matt's on point. Tough to get applicable advice when there is uncertainty as to where the injury is, let alone how severe. T1, T2: rare site for compression outside severe whiplash injury. It's the least mobile portion of the rib cage with short thick ribs supported by your sternum. Get a compression fracture there and I would expect a long recovery. Totally different implications to respiratory and head neck mechanics. T12, L1, L2 is the common zone for compression fractures with totally different implications. 6 months is pretty long for initial bone healing in that region unless you are unreasonable regarding activity/stress through the region or there is some other complication.

[L0KI]

Broken neck surgery when I was 50 about 8 years ago.. surgeon fused C6, C5, C4, C3 plus a titanium plate and 8 screws.
That leaves me with movement between C3 and C2 only really.
Doctors told me to never skateboard, kiteboard, mountain bike, snowboard or do any overhead work again.
Took about three months and I was back to kiteboarding and easy carving on longboards, mountain biking took about six to eight months, I've only been snowboarding once since then but that is a location thing really, I've done plenty of overhead work since then, difficult not doing what you have to do.
I have pain every day no matter what I do, or don't do.
A 30 minute neck area massage every day would be good but that almost never happens.
Lots of Ibuprofen helps.
My left palm and finger surfaces are permanently sort of numb, so that hand is not as dexterous as it used to be and I happen to be left handed.
Oh poor, poor pitiful me...

.

[Bille]

Broken neck surgery when I was 50 about 8 years ago..
...
Took about three months and I was back to kiteboarding and easy carving on longboards, mountain biking took about six to eight months, I've only been kiteboarding once since then but that is a location thing really,
...

You've only bin kiteboarding , (Once) since 8 years ago ? What kind of kiting do you do now , like
land or snow ?


Bille

[tautologies]

Sorry to hear that.
I have not broken my back, but had several discs that slide in and out every now and then, and my neck is fubared. Last time it was severe I tried yoga...and some strengthening exercises...it helped tremendously.
Train as much as you can without getting worse and I think you'll be fine. One thing I tried and it really made me so much worse was chiropractic treatment. I got a big desperate after a kiting crash that took my neck out for a long time...and a friend recommended chiro....it was the worst ever.


I am now going through a different injury that will keep me off the water for 6-12 months (missing out on an epic kite trip to Brazil). There will be a lot of retraining, but like anything else..focus and determination...and less beer and I think I will be okay.