Well, it's been three weeks since I had Marlene (my new disc) installed. If I'm being completely honest about my recovery so far, I have to admit that I'm pleased with the direction things are going, knock on wood. I'm cautiously optimistic and don't want to jinx anything, but I'm feeling a little better each day.
When I returned home last Monday I was in a world of hurt after the plane ride from hell. I attempted a two mile walk the following morning, then paid for it dearly for the rest of the day. Now I'm walking about 5 miles a day without aggravating my back too much. I'm able to move more naturally and my stomach muscles are coming back. I can rise from a horizontal position using only my stomach, which is a huge step forward.
I credit much of my progress to the regular chiropractic treatments I've been getting. I cannot stress enough how important it is for anyone undergoing this type of surgery to incorporate massage and chiropractic into your recovery. And I'm not talking some 'snap, crackle, and pop' jockey. This is the last type of treatment any disc replacement patient needs. What you should research is called, 'Sacro Occipital Technique, or SOT: http://www.sotousa.com/wp/?page_id=14959
After disc replacement surgery your pelvis is likely to be both rotated and tilted, causing among other things, leg length discrepancies. All of the muscles and connective tissue in your back and groin area are basically locked, which can cause severe misalignment. In my case, one leg was almost an inch longer than the other, forcing my joints to take on an unequal load. I basically walked around the hospital like a pirate with a peg leg.
In the past week my chiropractor has been able to align my pelvis, so now there is no longer any leg length discrepancy and I'm able to walk normally. I'm still limited and move slowly, but my gate has almost returned to normal.
The pain in my low back has been tolerable, but I still can't stand for more than a few minutes in one spot without it starting to act up. The pain in my left groin area is tight, but improving with each stretch. My SI joints still burn at times, but this too is getting better. I can sit at a table and eat a meal without wanting to jump out of my skin, and sleep is slowly creeping back into my nightly routine. I've been adding different stretches to my repertoire and started doing face-down leg lifts in order to start stabilizing my SI joints.
A few days after surgery I was honestly scared that my life was over. But I trusted in the doctors who said I'd improve, and damn if they weren't right. Still a long way to go, but it feels like I can actually see a faint glimmer of the finish line ahead.
Onward and Forward!
Hi Ian, I'm glad to read that you are making real progress and sleeping better! Thanks for the details about the SOT treatment. When you say "regular treatments" are you talking a couple times a week or more/less often?
ReplyDeleteHey Linda,
DeleteFor now it's 2-3 chiro treatments and one trigger release massage therapy treatment per week. As I improve I'll scale back on chiro, but for now the important part is making sure that as the ligaments and soft tissue heal, they heal in their proper alignment.