back Pain(hernia) and being sailor

hi guys,

I have an hernia between L5-S1. And in a boat you usually sit. And this is not good for my back.
Sometimes i am also working as skipper. should i stop doing this and sailing long distances or do you have an advice..

regards

 

You should see a spinal specialist before it gets worse. It can be corrected by surgery. Then your life can go back to normal.

http://www.spine-health.com/conditions/herniated-disc/treatment-options-a-lumbar-herniated-disc

 

i saw a doctor. he says that you don need a surgery now. but i need to take care and he said swiming and walking is good. Normally i am sporting a lot(gym, swimming and windsurfing) so my muscles are in good condition. But sitting long kills my back. And also maybe windsurfing is not very good.

 

If you have a herniated disc the remedy depends on how bad the condition.

A herniated disc with rest and anti inflamitory drugs will settle down but its forever after vulerable and they never play up at a convienient time.

A full root protrusion disc requires surgery and there are many options to consider.

If you want an active life, continue sailing surgery is really the only option but get good advice on the intended method.

Never allow a chiroprator to manipuate your spine for disc issues it's guaranteed to make it worse or even require surgery within a week and don't use pain control drugs long term. They can be an even bigger problem.

I put up with two full root protuded discs S1 and L4/L5 for twenty years then I broke my back. I reqd L3 fused to L5 with a titanium replacement for L4 inbetween, no discs no pain...fantastic

Good luck

 

what do you mean by "i broke my back"

 

Hanging upside down several times a day will help too.

 

A friend of mine had experimental treatment done on two collapsed discs in a German university clinic. The damaged parts were removed with an endoscopic nibbling tool and the cavities filled with a fast curing resin. The procedure itself took less than 2 hours; after another 2 hours rest and one final X-ray she left the clinic, drove 500 miles home without any discomfort as if nothing had happened.

 

Broken, smashed, wrecked caused by a ladder on a scaffold around and over a sy I was building let go with me on it. I fell just 4mt landed on the ladder on deck. The impact exploded L4 vertebra into fragments, but it did fix the disc problem.

 

Yah, bad back. I feel your pain.

Im late 50's and have had a bad back for almost ten years.


Im also a Professional sailor. About 200 days per year. Turkey, Greece, Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, Italy ,France and Spain this year. 10 to 12 thousand miles is a typical season.

Just like you...I can not sit down for more than a few minutes and I cant work on my hands and knees for any length of time. Im presently typing this note in the wheelhouse...standing up. I simply don't sit down anymore. On watch its either standing up or when I need a 10 minute break, laid flat in my bunk.

As your doctor stated, physical fitness is your only defense. I notice that Im most prone to back failure at the beginning of a sailing season , when Im soft. You would be wise to speak with a Sports Physiologist for advice on which muscles you need strengthen to keep your spinal column in line. Drugs and painkillers simply do not work.

For me Back failure means intense, "pee in your pants" pain..I was stretchered off the boat in Italy a few years ago. . Not much fun

Im fortunate that the yacht is big enough that I was able to customize a bit to make life easier. For instance I have a portable compact bunk like rig for watch keeping in the wheelhouse that allows me to be almost horizontal and stand long boring watches with a clear view of the radar and horizon. . Engine room work is a challenge. Takes me twice as long to perform simple procedures. I simply wont go aloft in a bosuns chair these days...to much risk. I use a tiller extension and stand up when driving the yachts tender.

You might also consider moving up to a bigger yacht. Something with ergonomics that suit your back and a young fit crew to work in the rigging

 

do you mean, are you getting more strong and fit during the sailing season?
I dont feel like that i just feel that my muscles are getting weaker in the boat because of lacking move

 

You get more fit as the season develops. On a water the motion of the boat constantly forces you to use muscles simply to stay upright. At the end of a sailing day my whole body is sore.
If I were you, I would seek out a second opinion, preferably from a back specialist, then follow their advise.

I was advised to keep my lower abdominal muscles in shape and to keep my back flexible.
Your back needs to be flexible...like a long zipper. Any stiffness or locked segments will cause this flexible " zipper " to kink and cause pain.

 

I was the same, kept my fitness levels very high and swim a lot to strength muscles. At home on my property I cut down trees, trimed with axe, built my own post & beam structure house using recycled 10'' sq hardwood beams. I ran a engineering business and spent weekends either sailing or winter time hot forging ironwork, but bend over in enginerooms for 20min...agony, stand up from tying shoe laces wrong way ...bam, discs pop and I'm on my back for 2-3 days in agony.

Bottom line - back pain reduces quality of life and the sooner you get a perminent solution the better. Sometimes fusion is the only way if nothing else works.
Its an invasive procedure with a small degree of risk and you loose maybe 3%-5% spine flexibility but you will be pain free.