Spinal fracture 6 months on

[I'm Dun]

I wonder if you ve been doing too much physio…my nurse friends tell me the bones don’t properly harden til after 12 weeks..my experience was more like pippity s in fact I was never referred to a physio..just told to get on with things.

I found the physio exercises made me much worse.

 

[Pippity]

I found the physio exercises made me much worse.

I've been going to a private sports physio, starting about three months after the fracture, once I was out of the brace.

I've found it incredibly helpful. In a couple of weeks, I went from being barely able to stand up to having nearly full mobility. A month or so after starting physio, I was able to go on a walking holiday in the Lakes (albeit much easier walks than I'd have done previously!)

We're still working on strength, but the stretches I've been given are amazing, especially for when I've been spending too much time at a desk, working.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

I had some issues with my back & neck. I went for a scan & afterwards I attended an appointment to see a specialist who could look at & understand the scan & he told me my issues. Apparently the centre of my spinal column around my neck & between my shoulder blades is narrower than it should be. (I can't remember the vertebrae numbers sorry). He told me he could operate on me but he could not rule out the fact that I may end up in a wheel chair. I am retired & there are two things that I love to do one is riding my motorcycle & second is riding my horses. The specialist then told me that I should not ride horses or motorcycles because if I come off I could be crippled & in a wheel chair. This happened to me years ago & no I haven't found anything else to do that is so exhilarating as motorcycles & horse riding. I still have my horses & these are ridden by my wife & daughter. I still have my motorcycle a BMW R800RT, it's mint, 1985, 36000 miles. It sits in my garage under a cover, next year it becomes MOT exempt. I'm still no where near to selling it.

 

[Miggy99]

I wonder if you ve been doing too much physio…my nurse friends tell me the bones don’t properly harden til after 12 weeks..my experience was more like pippity s in fact I was never referred to a physio..just told to get on with things.

No chance of it being too much, I didn’t have my first physio session until 11 weeks post-op and that was after seeing the surgeon for him to review X-rays. And I can’t do the stretches every day because they hurt so definitely not overdoing it. I wish I was, that would be an easy fix

 

[Miggy99]

I've been going to a private sports physio, starting about three months after the fracture, once I was out of the brace.

I've found it incredibly helpful. In a couple of weeks, I went from being barely able to stand up to having nearly full mobility. A month or so after starting physio, I was able to go on a walking holiday in the Lakes (albeit much easier walks than I'd have done previously!)

We're still working on strength, but the stretches I've been given are amazing, especially for when I've been spending too much time at a desk, working.

We’re going to the Lakes at the end of the month! Hoping I’ll be ok walking around, but I’ll definitely be taking my painkillers etc with me!

 

[Miggy99]

Well I had a phone call with the hospital today and my surgeon has opened up another clinic so I have an appointment to see him this Friday! I’m sure he’ll be happy surgically but hoping he might be able to put some weight behind my GP’s request for an MRI

 

[Pippity]

Well I had a phone call with the hospital today and my surgeon has opened up another clinic so I have an appointment to see him this Friday! I’m sure he’ll be happy surgically but hoping he might be able to put some weight behind my GP’s request for an MRI

Fingers crossed!

 

[Miggy99]

Fingers crossed!

Well I’m now sat on the sofa at home wearing the back brace I didn’t need to use at the time. Surgeon thinks it could be metalwork pull-out causing the pain and has requested an urgent CT scan which hopefully I can have at a more local hospital. If that doesn’t show anything it’ll be an MRI. But worse case scenario the CT shows the metalwork is pulling out and I’ll need further surgery to extend the metalwork

 

[nutjob]

A colleague with metalwork was advised not to have an mri incase the magnets caused it to move. Hope the CT gives you an answer and you don't need another surgery.

 

[Vodkagirly]

Well I’m now sat on the sofa at home wearing the back brace I didn’t need to use at the time. Surgeon thinks it could be metalwork pull-out causing the pain and has requested an urgent CT scan which hopefully I can have at a more local hospital. If that doesn’t show anything it’ll be an MRI. But worse case scenario the CT shows the metalwork is pulling out and I’ll need further surgery to extend the metalwork

I hope you get the scans/answers soon. The worry is very debilitating

 

[Miggy99]

I hope you get the scans/answers soon. The worry is very debilitating

Thankyou. I am quite worried now. Another surgery is terrifying, especially when I’ve followed his instructions so well, but he said it’s just something that can happen and I’m unlucky. Just going to try to enjoy our holiday next week and see what comes of the scan

 

[MidChristmasCrisis]

I’m pleased that your pain is being taken notice of now…I hope you don’t have to have surgery again and I’m surprised you ve only now got a back brace/corset I asked for mine to have lace sewn on..it’s such a brutalist piece of…clothing.

 

[Miggy99]

I’m pleased that your pain is being taken notice of now…I hope you don’t have to have surgery again and I’m surprised you ve only now got a back brace/corset I asked for mine to have lace sewn on..it’s such a brutalist piece of…clothing.

I had a brace from the start because I wasn’t going to have surgery. Once I’d had the surgery I was told not to use the brace because the muscles needed to do their work. Doesn’t help that both private and nhs physios told me I needed to be bending and flexing my back because the surgeon telling me there was risk of metalwork pull-out was wrong. Not that I’ve been bending much, but a lot of the exercises and stretches I was given, the surgeon was not happy about!

 

[Pippity]

On the one hand, if it is metalwork pullout, you've got your answer, which is great. On the other hand, it's not an answer that's easy to fix.

I remember being so envious that you were up and about while I was stuck flat on my back, and being a bit resentful that my consultant was doing everything he could to avoid surgery. I can definitely see his reasoning now.

I hope you're able to enjoy your holiday.

 

[Miggy99]

On the one hand, if it is metalwork pullout, you've got your answer, which is great. On the other hand, it's not an answer that's easy to fix.

I remember being so envious that you were up and about while I was stuck flat on my back, and being a bit resentful that my consultant was doing everything he could to avoid surgery. I can definitely see his reasoning now.

I hope you're able to enjoy your holiday.

Now that he’s said it I’m convinced that’s what’s happening. I was lying in bed this morning reading, on my back and the pain was so much in my spine I don’t see what else it could be. I’m just a bit frustrated that more vertebrae weren’t fused at the time or longer screws used, because there was no non-surgical option with mine unfortunately. You’ve definitely had the easier recovery in the long run though and I’m so happy you’re up and about now