Recovery from surgery

[J. Pickard]

After gaining a ton of weight from being unable to train and struggling to keep up with my students from pain, I am finally taking my doctor's advice and having a surgery done on my hip and spine. The surgery will fuse L5 and L4 for stability and they are doing a resection of a part of my hip (bone removal). For those who have had back or hip surgery and continued to train, how long was the recovery process for you and what was it like?

 

[HighKick]

After gaining a ton of weight from being unable to train and struggling to keep up with my students from pain, I am finally taking my doctor's advice and having a surgery done on my hip and spine. The surgery will fuse L5 and L4 for stability and they are doing a resection of a part of my hip (bone removal). For those who have had back or hip surgery and continued to train, how long was the recovery process for you and what was it like?

I had a disc repair in ‘89. In a nutshell, he trimmed the disc so it would slip back in place. Sore for a few days and took it easy for a couple of weeks but never really checked up on training. I was Young then.
In contrast, I have had major work and prosthetics on my leg & foot that really slowed me down. Seven surgeries in total.
I had two bone spurs removed from the ball of my right hip joint. Wish I had not waited so long because it gave a good amount of relief. Once over the trauma of the surgery and all good.
I do have spinal stenosis bad but I am terrified of back surgery.

 

[Dirty Dog11]

My wife and I wrecked a motorcycle many years ago. Her T6/T7 vertebral bodies were totally destroyed so she had a T6/7 corpectomy. Basically, both vertebrae were completely removed, and an expandable cage was placed. Recovery took a few months of hard work, but she has no deficits at all. She continued to train, and about 8 years later I was privileged to put a black belt around her waist. It was the belt I was awarded at 1st Dan a million years ago.
Get a referral to physical therapy. Try to find one who knows something about martial arts. Do as they say. And maintain a positive attitude.

@Earl Weiss has posted in the past about his experience following hip replacement, so he might have helpful information.

 

[jks919987 11]

Lapirodic partial discectomy 2013 or so. Know a few others who have had various fusions. Recovery and return to full activity is very possible. Follow rehab and physical therapy protocols, get moving as soon as you can, even if it's just walking.

 

[Dirty Dog11]

Lapirodic partial discectomy 2013 or so. Know a few others who have had various fusions. Recovery and return to full activity is very possible. Follow rehab and physical therapy protocols, get moving as soon as you can, even if it's just walking.

Early mobility is crucial to recovery. Way back in the dark ages, people would have laminectomies and joint replacement and then be flat in bed for days. Want to guess how many of them developed things like pneumonia, DVTs, and bedsores? Yeah. Way too many.

 

[J. Pickard]

Get a referral to physical therapy. Try to find one who knows something about martial arts. Do as they say. And maintain a positive attitude.

@Earl Weiss has posted in the past about his experience following hip replacement, so he might have helpful information.

Solid advice

 

[Earl Weiss111 11]

My hip was done the larger incision way 20 years ago. I had a walker for one day. Crutches for a week and a cane for a week. With newer techniques some walk out the same day without anything. IMO keys to a good and efficient recovery. Pre Hap. Strengthen legs as best you can. Leg extension machine efficiently targets important muscles. Do each leg separately. Afterward follow doctors advise - don't over do it - but do it. I got on the stationary bike as soon as possible even though I was so swollen that I could only pedal halfway around and then opposite direction. I taught after 1 month and trained after 2 months. Here is a video 1 year post Op. But I was only 50 then .Sent it to my surgeon - he was impressed with the results.

 

[jks919987 11]

Lapirodic partial discectomy 2013 or so. Know a few others who have had various fusions. Recovery and return to full activity is very possible. Follow rehab and physical therapy protocols, get moving as soon as you can, even if it's just walking.

By the way... I know I probably misspelled most of that. Hazards of phone typing...

About 2 years after the ruptured disc and surgery, I competed in power lifting at the World Police & Fire Games.

 

[J. Pickard]

My hip was done the larger incision way 20 years ago. I had a walker for one day. Crutches for a week and a cane for a week. With newer techniques some walk out the same day without anything. IMO keys to a good and efficient recovery. Pre Hap. Strengthen legs as best you can. Leg extension machine efficiently targets important muscles. Do each leg separately. Afterward follow doctors advise - don't over do it - but do it. I got on the stationary bike as soon as possible even though I was so swollen that I could only pedal halfway around and then opposite direction. I taught after 1 month and trained after 2 months. Here is a video 1 year post Op. But I was only 50 then .Sent it to my surgeon - he was impressed with the results.

makes me feel confident I can fully recover. Thanks.

 

[millieIZ0]

In my experience, the combination of a lumbar fusion and hip resection is really about restoring that kinetic chain so you can rotate properly again. I had a similar multi-level issue and decided on surgery after conservative care failed. I chose Dr. Siddiqui, a Houston spine surgeon, specifically because of his fellowship training in complex reconstructions and minimally invasive techniques.
He performed my fusion with such precision that I was able to start my rehab much earlier than I expected. The most important part of my recovery was his methodical post-op plan, he made sure the bone graft was fully integrated before letting me anywhere near high-impact movements.