Today is exactly one year after my back surgery. I cannot believe that it is already a year ago, and I am amazed at my progress over that time. This is a good time to reflect on my experience, and perhaps offer a little guidance to anybody in a similar position.

Disclaimer: I am not in the medical profession, and I have not expert knowledge, so do not do anything without consulting your doctor!

So, let me tell you about my experience over the last year.

What exactly did they do?

A Laminectomy Discectomy – basically the doctor drilled a small hole into the back of my spine (L4), stuck in a pair of tweezers, and removed the broken pieces of disks. While for anybody this is a frightening experience, it is a routine procedure which only takes about 40 minutes from start to finish.

Why?

I slipped a disc. To be more precisely, I ruptured the disc between the L4 and L5 vetebras (lower back). The ruptured piece of disc was pushing onto the nerve which goes into my left leg, resulting in a massive pain in my left leg for several weeks, and while I could walk, it was very difficult. I slipped the disc while loading the dishwasher. Of course this in itself is very low maintenance task, however it was the catalyst. If not that, something else would have caused it. At least I have finally proven that house work is bad for you!

How successful was it?

Extremely. For about a year before the operation, I could tell that my back was not quite right. There was nothing specific that I could put my finger on, but any pressure on my back caused pain. I had previously been running about 10km, and cycling every weekend. However, during this period running even a few hundred metres caused me pain (I could continue to cycle). Even basic back stretches and exercises were painful.

When I woke up after surgery, I was pain free. The pain had completely gone. When the morphine wore off, I was still (am still am) largely pain free.

Completely pain free?

No, I still have a little pain from time to time, especially after sitting for a long time, but in general  I have very little pain. If I have any pain, a little pilates or walking helps. In fact, regular walking seems to be the best thing for my back. Any pain I have nowadays is more from back strain than from the slipped disc. Now, I very seldom take any medication for pain.

What about rehab?

One of the most overlooked intervention in back surgery is rehab. The day after my operation, the physio threw me out of bed, and exercises began. After about two months, I started going to classes at the physio to continue to mobilise my back. Now, I still go to weekly pilates or Gyrokinesis classes at the physio, although my focus has (at least internally) shifted from rehab to preventative maintenance of my back. Now, I am doing exercised that I couldn’t do years ago (I can even touch my toes if I have warmed up). Today, I can cycle about 60km without any difficulty, and I can run about 5km. When I need to stop, it is because my legs are tried, and not because of my back.

Would I recommend it?

Surgery is always a scary prospect and never without risk. However the difference this procedure has made in my life is immeasurable. If I had the recommend it to somebody in a similar position, I would definitely do so.