Back surgery and still diving?

[ScubaBobCancun]

I'm staring into the face of some back surgery at age 65 (though otherwise in good health and fitness) and I'm wondering if others have had this and have come back to dive.

The surgery, if I have it, is to relieve sciatica pain by repairing a ruptured disc and remove a sequestrated fragment that has broken off.

The doc is saying that, in any case, I should not do entry backrolls and I'm wondering what the alternative is besides giant stride which I already cannot do.

Hopefully injections will relieve the pain and surgery will not be necessary, but I am mighty curious to know if others have dived after such surgery. Of course each case is different.

Thanks,

Bill

Bill: I am pushing 66 and 3 years ago I had 3 vertebrae in my neck fused. I was diving 90 days later but my doc said no giant strides or walking with the tank on my back for 6 months. I would tell this to the boat crew so they knew my condition. When we reached the dive site I would jump into the water and they would lower my BCD / Tank into the water and I would put the gear on in the water. If the seas were a bit choppy they would have a DM or Instructor come into the water to help me put the gear on. At the end of the dive I would remove the gear and they DM or Instructor would lift it into the boat for me. I have been with others who have had lower back surgery and they have done the same thing. Bottom line is that if you are with a reputable dive boat with qualified staff your back problem should not be a problem at all. If the boat crew acts as if you are strange then find another boat crew.

 

[billt4sf]

Bill: I am pushing 66 and 3 years ago I had 3 vertebrae in my neck fused. I was diving 90 days later but my doc said no giant strides or walking with the tank on my back for 6 months. I would tell this to the boat crew so they knew my condition. When we reached the dive site I would jump into the water and they would lower my BCD / Tank into the water and I would put the gear on in the water. If the seas were a bit choppy they would have a DM or Instructor come into the water to help me put the gear on. At the end of the dive I would remove the gear and they DM or Instructor would lift it into the boat for me. I have been with others who have had lower back surgery and they have done the same thing. Bottom line is that if you are with a reputable dive boat with qualified staff your back problem should not be a problem at all. If the boat crew acts as if you are strange then find another boat crew.

Thank you. I have also experienced that the boat crews are great, with good ops you just need to tell them what you need. At least here in Indo that's the way it is.

I have not walked with the tank on for about a year (I have an artificial hip). So consider yourself lucky!

- Bill

 

[billt4sf]

BACK UPDATE:

We came back to San Francisco to see my own docs. Meantime the back has gotten quite a bit better. I had to take opiods for a few weeks, then I switched to edible cannabis for a couple weeks, then to ... not much...

I just walked 18 blocks! When I first wrote the post, I could barely walk a few paces. I couldn't stand up long enough to pee, now I pee like a woman (sitting down) and guys -- it is a much better way to go! Consider that the silver lining of a very dark cloud.

Saw my own docs here in SF and -- no surgery! I had pretty much figured that out because the pain level had gone down so much. BIG CONTRAST to what the doc in Singapore said. I am beginning to believe as someone said that they might not be a great as I had thought. Really, we could have stayed in Bali, used the pool every day (I sure miss that!) but I am feeling more relieved to see my own doc.

Also it was confirmed by the doc that the fragment should re-absorb.

We think that the pain should go down to close to zero over the next month. Then I can re-start an exercise program....slowly.

One hopes that the back issues will not return 5 or 10 years from now. The problem is caused by that one broken off fragment. What causes that?

Looking to do family visits, enjoy SF, maybe do a North America tour, and go back to Bali around Sept '17. We enjoy having traffic lights (yes really!) and sidewalks, but man this place is COLD! And expensive. And people are much more pushy than in Bali.

Now the big problem is - I need to find some boats to take in Raja Ampat in the Fall!

Thanks for all the comments and support. It was indeed very useful to hear from so many divers that had back problems.

- Bill

 

[CarcharodonCarcharias]

Good to hear that you are doing better Bill!

 

[EricTheDood]

I'm staring into the face of some back surgery at age 65 (though otherwise in good health and fitness) and I'm wondering if others have had this and have come back to dive.

I'm about half your age, but I understand back pain after slipping a disc 15 years ago. It healed on its own but the pain comes and goes.

Also, my wife hates shore diving if there's any surf. In those situations, I help her get into and out of her gear in the water. It takes very little effort on my part.

So I'd recommend doing just that. Most dive ops should understand and accommodate you without hesitation. Even on a good, pain-free day, don't be tempted to be "polite" and jump in the water donning full gear. It's simply not worth the risk, as it doesn't take much for the pain to come back.

 

[Fathom044]

Welcome to side mount!

 

[billt4sf]

Welcome to side mount!

So...what's the point of sidemount? I could see that it might be useful if you're doing shore dives and carrying my own gear -- but I'm not doing that. I don't see the point of it for backrolls. My doc in Singapore suggested that, but my doc in SF says no problem, and I think he's right. I do sling my pony tank sidemount.

 

[EricTheDood]

So...what's the point of sidemount? I could see that it might be useful if you're doing shore dives and carrying my own gear -- but I'm not doing that. I don't see the point of it for backrolls. My doc in Singapore suggested that, but my doc in SF says no problem, and I think he's right. I do sling my pony tank sidemount.

The backroll itself is less of an issue than getting into position. Once in your BCD, you have to climb up on to the side of the boat, which can strain your back. The DM can help you here, but there's still some risk.

I agree that sidemount has no added benefit (for your back) in recreational boat diving if you were already planning on donning your backmount gear in the water. The idea is that the dive op would hand you your tanks when you're in the water for sidemount, which pretty much boils down to the same thing. You do however benefit from having a lot more gas.

For shore diving, you could sidemount a pair of AL40s, which would be slick. It would be really easy for your buddy to carry your two AL40s into and out of the water. Or you could carry one while he carries the other.

 

[Diving Dubai]

@billt4sf

You don't need sidemount (from personal experience) I however ditched my standard BP set up in favour of the Dive rite Transpac system (if you need the additional weight of a plate then the Transplate.

The advantage of this is that the rig has a waist belt designed to transfer the weight of the tanks onto your hips which is useful if you're on a boat standing waiting to jump, of if you climb the ladder with kit on. It's also a doddle to slip off in the water as you can release a shoulder strap if you need to.

For those who will claim the risk of failure points and plastic buckles as a huge negative, I will say this:

My transpac is 3 years old, does around 100 dives per year. It's used for boat diving where it lies on the deck in between dives (not in a nice tank holder) and is exposed to the harsh Middle East Summers - which reeks havoc on plastics causing them to degrade and become brittle. Not a problem for my DR it's well built and has lasted with no degradation of the harness nor the wing

I added the Butt plate with rails for slinging (because I find it nicer than a hip D-Ring, and the Butt pocket for spare dSMB /lift bag.

This year for "winter" DS diving I swapped back to a standard BP/w rig as I needed the weight of a steel plate. Hated it, so am buying myself a Transplate system for diving next "winter"


One more tip. Once you heal and the pain goes away it's easy to forget that your back is still a bit delicate, so just be conscious of this with cylinders etc and take it easy.

 

[Ember]

I am a divemaster but I haven't dove in about 5 months. I was just wondering what the time period is before I need to refresh my skills? Is there a maximum time I can go before i have to do refresher courses?