All,  Hope you, your family, and your friends are doing fantastic. 

If you are in healing mode I wish you wonderful healing. 

L3,4,5 Laminectomy decompression completed end of June, Now in rehab. Rehab Stats:

CDC Chair sit-stand (test for fall risk)   baseline  0  ZERO, day 2 = 1  13 days = 11 and at 14 days 2 set of 11 each.

I need 15 in 30 seconds to pass fall risk.

I can walk with a cane up to 3/4 mile in a day. at least 1/2 mile a day. I started at 60 feet.

Multimodal pain management worked well and is designed to lower the amount of narcotics needed for pain relief.  5 mg Oxy, 5 mg Valium, 100 mg Gabapentin. 2 hrs later add 500 mg Tylenol.   

Start at 4 hr dosing, then over time 6 hr dosing then 8 hours. At 8 Hr cut back the meds in half. 

Pre Hab visits = 3 well worth the effort. 

Post-rehab - I have in-home PT 2x a week.  The goal is back to work in 4 weeks.  

Simple metrics gauge my rehab progress. So far so good and on plan. 

Plan, Prep, execute.  But the real key is your friends sending positive waves in the electromagnetic spectrum.

Xrays end of July.  

Take Care,

Zardog

Hi All,

My L4/5 has a cage but the bone was only cut say 40%. This offers stability and plenty of decompressing space for the nerves. 

5 Weeks Post-op perfect result.  

Full heal time for any muscles that are cut is 8 weeks.

Expect some back muscle spasms over the next few months. Ice and Tylenol.

Zero old symptoms.  Yeah. 

Part of my PT and back to normal play.

This is my max for the test end of each week. This is CDC based. 

The other is walking daily. I try to walk 2 sessions, Plus I had in-home PT 2 x a week.

Metrics are simple, effective, and motivating.  Weakness is not a failure but feedback on where to adjust the PT. 

My Lift restrictions are now 20 lbs.

See more at  https://skidome.org/ZardozRen/back/

See you all on the slopes in Jan 2023.

Zardog. 

This is the third recovery in 3 years. Walking gets boring have to mix it up. Now I can lift to 20 lbs and add stretch bands. swim. Bike indoors. At the end of Sept will get up to 30 lbs and maybe fewer restrictions.  

Walking does not get my heart rate high enough. I like to get to120 BPM.  Indoor and Outdoor biking is the only way for me. 20 mins. 

130 days to local ski season. 

Coming up on 6 weeks post-op and back to a desk job. 

I tried to spend 2 hours a day of some type of exercise and work based on my PT/Surgeon.

I did have in-home PT 2x a week. Once back at work and I know a general idea of my schedule I will have 6 weeks 2x a week PT. SEPT and OCT. 

Healing is a biological process that has its own time frame. 4 to 8 months on bone remodeling. Muscle was cut that takes about 6 weeks plus. Then expect spasms up to 4 months out. Ice a Tylenol and cupping for that. 

Zardog

All,

Doing fantastic. Up to 40 lbs lift. Almost completed PT.

I am fusing at 12 weeks. Next checkup Mid December.  

Looks good for a Mid-December skiing.

Looking good old man.

Hit me up when you're ready to hit the mountain.

Hi Jim K funny you say that. I feel great. No pain is great. Back in the Gym in November. 

PT taught me to protect the repairs, and work out correctly, I do not need heavy weights. Walking is good.

Take care Zardog 

The November Milestone. Yippy. 4 months after the Lami/fusion, biological healing has been completed. Xray shows fusion has started. 

I can start the gym next week. All my lifts are now modified and I no longer need heavy weights.  

Hip=

Gave my legs the same length. Maybe why most of us like turning a certain way naturally.

Rotation up by 50%, Angle up.

I stand up taller. Left flexors were tight.

Neck=

Sensory perception 3D space awareness, Balance improved, and Stance tighter by 25-50%.

Lumbar=

Not sure yet. the outcome of surgery was zero pain zero leg numbness and pain. 

No pain is good. Having a leg numb while racing or skiing I am sure was a negative effect.

Benefits: 

PT by a Pro =  36 weeks total 

Body at High School Weight  188lbs (almost 60)  

Things to work on:  

Mental Health is a combination of medication, online tools, and smart docs. I am blessed to have all 3.

Cognitive exercises. Xbox 360 used- Ace Combat 6.  A 3D arcade-type game has shown results in cognitive regeneration. 

60 days or less to Ski. 

Zardog