Unstable T7 Vertebrae Fracture Fusion

tmr1980

Unstable T7 Vertebrae Fracture Fusion

I'm a 36 years old Triathlete. I broke my spine in a road bike accident resulting in an unstable fracture of my T7 vertebrae and the need for surgery (fusion of T6 to T8 vertebrae). Doc's couldn't believe I wasn't paralysed.

I'm now 8 mths post surgery, and doing exercise on daily basis (struggling with running, swimming nearly a mile and doing about 3.5 hrs on the turbo a week with the odd road ride thrown in). I'm also undertaking weekly pilates & daily stretches. Back generally aches each day.

Struggling to gleam many similar experiences from the internet.

Anyone done anything similar that can share experience and timeline of recovery??

47p2

Fractured my T2 & T3 almost 3 years ago, 12 weeks off the bike and lots of powerful painkillers seen me through the next 8 months. Coming of the medication was a whole other experience that was almost as bad as the fracture. The next 12 months saw a big improvement and the pain eased but shoulder problems from the fractures caused me all sorts of problems. Still have poor days now but they are few and far between. Time is what's required, allow the body to heal and don't push too hard. Best of luck with your recovery

tmr1980

Thanks for reply...did u have a fusion? How many months post Accident did u get back to normal riding?

47p2

No fusion, 12 weeks before I was riding but swallowing lots of meds to kill the pain. A mate was knocked off his bike on Christmas eve and he's had fusion on 2 discs, won't be riding for a while yet

964cup

Lumbar fusion here - S1 through L4, 2 discs replaced. Op was end of November, been back on the bike for a couple of weeks. Fitness is obviously way down, and I'm struggling for energy. Currently doing about 130km a week, as opposed to a normal 300km pre-op, because I haven't the energy for the weekend rides. Back is mostly pain-free, if stiff and sore in the morning, but I've lost a lot of flexibility. Just started physio this week; expect it'll be three months before I'm back to riding normal distances, and maybe a year to heal completely (big issue for me was that the op was largely anterior, so I had a lot of abdominal trauma).

tmr1980

964 that sounds impressive, are u riding a road bike and have u had to raise your handlebars to reduce strain on injury? How did u do it if u don't mind me asking? I'm working on a year to get back to 80/90% and 18mths/2 yrs before I'm back to pre op condition.

racerex

Memorial Day (US) 1980, diving into a rock quarry, compression fracture T5 and T6. I am extremely lucky to be alive and I remind myself of that every day. The fracture, combined with some early Kyphosis (curvature) which the surgeons thought may be degenerative, led to a complete fusion from T2 - T12. They removed 10 discs and inserted two threaded steel rods with nuts and hooks. I spent 6 weeks in traction, and 7 months in a body cast from hips to chin. Fortunately I was still young enough (22 at the time) to recover reasonably quickly, loss of upper body strength probably being the most noticeable at first. Even being extremely cautious after getting the cast off, I was 100% within about 4 - 6 months. 37 years later and I have never had a bit of difficulty with my back since. Plenty of road crashes over the years, hit by a couple cars, broken clavicles, concussions, etc. but the back is not a problem. Like 964, I'm a little stiff and don't ride in the drops as much as I've gotten older, but still doing 60 - 70 mi training rides regularly.

tmr1980

Racerex that is incredible, every credit to you. I can't believe uve got rods in ur back from T2 - T12 and doing what ur doing. And u were 100% after 13 mths. And uve gone on to have more crashes, just shows how amazing the body is at adapting.

964cup

tmr1980 wrote:

964 that sounds impressive, are u riding a road bike and have u had to raise your handlebars to reduce strain on injury? How did u do it if u don't mind me asking? I'm working on a year to get back to 80/90% and 18mths/2 yrs before I'm back to pre op condition.

Yes, back on a road bike. Started with an Audax bike built up with about 50mm more stack than I would normally have. Still using that to commute, but focusing on riding grabbing invisible brake cables (i.e. elbows bent, forearms flat to the road, hands curled around the horns of the hoods) or in the drops. Now also back on my winter race bike, but with an extra 10mm of stack just to make things easier. Happy on the hoods, not yet really comfortable in the drops, and can't yet get my chin on the stem when descending. Have yet to try either of my properly long and low bikes, but I think that's probably a few weeks off yet.

I'm doing a fair bit of yoga and stretching. Pre-op I could get my hands flat on the floor with my legs straight. Now I can't quite reach my toes (say 2-3 inches to go), but when I was first allowed to bend at the waist I couldn't touch my knees, so repetition does pay off. Also making damn sure I do everything my physio tells me.

I suspect in part it's down to how flexible you were beforehand, partly it will be genetic, and partly its willingness to test the limits. Once the fusion has set, you won't snap it by stretching, so [I AM NOT A DOCTOR] don't be afraid to try, just ease into it. One thing that helped me was getting on the turbo the minute I was allowed (week 7 post-op) and just gently trying to reach the hoods and spin my legs. I was set back a fair bit by an infection that sapped all my energy, but once the antibiotics kicked in I found it helpful to do 10 mins of turbo, then 10 mins of stretching, then 10 mins of turbo and repeat. The turbo warms you through and gives a natural stretch, and the off-bike stretching is then with warm muscles. I used the toptube as a support, standing perpendicular to the bike, and just put a stretch into my hamstrings and lower back.

I can see myself getting back to normal flexibility fairly soon, but full fitness still seems a long way off. I understand that these ops take a lot of recovery, because of the significant trauma, but it's frustrating to be overtaken on the commute.

Mind you, compared to Racerex I am but a tyro. 10 f***ing discs? Yowza.

tmr1980

So sounds like uve had similar experience to me. I got on turbo as soon as I could which was 3 mths post op. I've also put several spacers on bars to raise them up. Also paid for private Physio and the gold std of Pilates (using eqpt) which has been massively beneficial.

Ur doing really well from what uve said, how old r u if u don't mind me asking as I'm guessing ur younger than me based on speed of ur recovery.

i just need to make sure I do majority of turbo intervals on hoods as I've been sitting up and pedalling on rest interval which means I've not been conditioning my back to bike position enough.

Do u ache after rides outside?

tmr1980

Ps I bought this heat pack and wear it like a backpack, really helps aching and blood flow for recovery.

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/OPPO-4760-Hot-C ... 0455327511

tmr1980

Anyone know of any forums / websites for info on similar injuries and people's experiences?

giampi

I didn't have that kind of an injury you're describing, but still very serious ones due to a hefty spill with a bad "landing" on a bollard and what the doctors kept saying was to take your time and better make progress a bit more slowly, than doing yourself any harm by pushing the limits too far too soon. Some things you simply can't accelerate...be happy to be alive and sort of healthy. it's been a year and a half to nearly full recovery for me.
Cheer up

964cup

tmr1980 wrote:

Ur doing really well from what uve said, how old r u if u don't mind me asking as I'm guessing ur younger than me based on speed of ur recovery.

Doubt it, based on your username. I'm 47.

i just need to make sure I do majority of turbo intervals on hoods as I've been sitting up and pedalling on rest interval which means I've not been conditioning my back to bike position enough.

Yes. Commuting also helps, as it means I'm riding every day. You need to (gently) push through so that you're properly on the hoods, not at a 45-degree Fred angle. Just took 20mm of spacers off the Audax bike yesterday, very happy about that.

Do u ache after rides outside?

No. In general I'm not getting much back pain (that was after all the point of the operation). Tight hamstrings seems to be the main issue, along with general loss of fitness. I suspect I need to spend more time in Z2 than I have been, as I'm overworking my quads and not focused enough on position & souplesse. If I keep working at the stretching, I reckon I'll be able to touch my toes by the end of next week, which is pleasing. On the other hand, I had to granny it up Muswell Hill yesterday - ok, I had panniers on and the bike weighed 15kg as a result, but still...the humiliation.

ctc

I'm another with fusion from T2 to T12 for scoliosis. Went from 68 degrees from normal to <20. Also rod, hooks etc to pull the spine back in place. Had it done when I was 13
I'm 47 now, have done a number of full contact martial arts over the years, a couple of bike crashes and various other accidents. I did stop Ju Jitsu about 10 years ago from one too many injuries
The only long term problems I've had has been in the last couple of years, all stemming from my last bike accident. Pilates, Yoga and Osteopathy and I'm nearly back to normal (for me). Posture, correct movement and being careful in how I sit also helps
I do have a custom bike that I love. makes up for my short torso compared to my legs - because of the residual curvature I'm a couple of inches shorter in the torso than I should be

diy

Nothing as serious as the above, but did my L5 in last summer. I've only just started to ride for more than 2 hours without feeling it the next day. I've been doing lots of deadlifts, squats, rows and stretching to keep the muscles strong. I've totally adapted my weights routine to keep as much as possible off my back in compression. weighted Pull-ups and dips instead of bicep curls and overhead extensions.

Sitting down all day is the killer for me. It does me much more harm than anything stupid I could do in the gym.

Its the stiffness not the pain that gets me.

I had heard that swimming was bad for upper back injuries unless your form is perfect.