October 17, 2024 • 22 mins
What if a simple round of golf changed your life forever? This episode of Bed Back and Beyond features Matt, a 34-year-old from New Jersey, who shares his compelling story of battling a severe back injury that spiraled into sciatic pain and debilitating symptoms like foot drop and pelvic tilt. Matt opens up about the frustrating journey through misdiagnoses and ineffective treatments before finding his path to the right medical professionals who finally provided the necessary surgical intervention.
Tune in to hear about Matt's remarkable recovery process, from the essential tools that eased his daily life post-surgery to the emotional rollercoaster of physical limitations and coping mechanisms. We discuss the crucial role of physical therapy, the importance of following medical restrictions, and the adjustments Matt made to return to work confidently. Matt's story is a testament to resilience, showing the importance of community support and sharing recovery stories to inspire others. Don't miss his hopeful outlook on returning to his beloved hobby of golfing, proving that perseverance can lead to renewed hope and joy.
Was this episode helpful to you? If you would like to support my work on the show, you can buy me a coffee at https://buymeacoffee.com/bedbackandbeyond
Have a positive story of recovery to tell? Head over to https://bedbackbeyond.com/share-your-story/ to apply.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It was after a round of golf and I basically just
completely locked up back spasmsand I was able to get through
that conservatively.
It kind of slowly, slowlyprogressed over.
You know six weeks or so withsome PT, so that wasn't.
I didn't really get the sciaticpain at first and then I had a
(00:21):
couple flare-ups.
Basically it was like everyfall I'd be going through this
and then this past October of2023 was where it started to
really go downhill.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Welcome to Bed Back and Beyond, sharing positive
stories of recovery from seriousback or neck injury.
Your host is CK, a fellowchampion who draws on her own
experience with herniated discsurgery.
Join her as she talks withothers who have overcome the
physical and emotional trauma ofa painful injury and discover
(00:58):
for yourself how you can findhope and encouragement in
recovery.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Hi Matt.
Thank you so much for joiningme on this episode of Bed Back
Beyond.
Before we dive into your injury, why don't you tell us a little
bit about yourself?
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Sure, my name is Matt , I'm 34.
I live in New Jersey.
I'm a very, very active person.
That's kind of what it stemmedfrom, what my injury stemmed
from.
I'm very, very big intomountain biking, all things,
cycling.
I was a big golfer before theinjury, played baseball growing
up, so it was just a lot ofthings.
(01:35):
Yeah, married, no kids.
Yeah, I work in IT, so I sit alot of the day.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
When did you start to notice an issue with your back?
Speaker 1 (01:48):
So the initial injury was back in 2021.
It was after a round of golf.
I basically just completelylocked up back spasms and I was
able to get through thatconservatively.
It kind of slowly, slowlyprogressed over you know six
weeks or so, with some PT, sothat wasn't I didn't really get
(02:10):
the sciatic pain at first, andthen I had a couple flare ups.
Basically it was like everyfall I'd be going through this.
And then this past yeah,october of 2023 was where it
started to really go downhill.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Okay For me, even as a teenager.
I would throw my back out, feltlike every other year and my
parents and my sisters the same.
So I my back started to act upin April and it just felt like
the normal.
Oh, I threw my back out, yeah,but it just didn't get better.
Usually that clears up withinthree weeks, yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
That's kind of the way I ended up.
Yeah, usually sciatic painwasn't a part of mine either.
Right, a new symptom that I waslike.
That's not great.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Right, so you got some back pain when you were
golfing.
When did the sciatic pain startto move in?
Speaker 1 (03:08):
So that was after I not so wisely as my wife would
put it, uh went on a mountainbiking trip, I came back and I
was pushing through it and onthe bike I never really got much
pain, which was which is like agood thing, um.
But when I got back it wasclearly like I had a lot of
(03:28):
pelvic tilt, so I was veryclearly over leaning to one side
, yeah, okay.
My initial PT um misdiagnosedthat a little bit as actual
pelvic tilt.
But once I got my surgery itkind of I was walking up right
that day.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
So um, yeah it was it was about.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
November, november, I was feeling a little bit better
, and then, december, I took oneride, got back and I knew
something was very off.
I couldn't really, I couldn'treally walk at that point.
I was, you know, bedridden.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
What kind of symptoms were you having in November?
Speaker 1 (04:09):
So November was kind of the difficult back pain, just
a lot of stiffness.
I've still able to go about mylife.
Sitting was a littleuncomfortable I was kind of
always cognizant of that.
And then, yeah, the sciaticpain.
Once that came, that was when Istarted.
I started getting foot drop, Istarted getting, yeah, really
(04:31):
bad tilt, and I switched pts atthat point because that was
where I was like I don't thinkthis.
Uh, the first pt was reallyworking for me.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
they were focused on the pelvic tilt instead of the
herniation, so Okay, and so didthe new PT say hey, this, this
might be a herniation.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Yeah, yeah, I did end up going.
I I'm lucky I have a McGillmaster clinician about 20
minutes from me, so I waswilling to pay out of pocket.
I was like you know what thisis.
I got to get this fixed and hewasn't particularly surprised
when I came back.
I think I got.
I had like a follow-up with myortho, uh, about three weeks
after I started with him and hewasn't too surprised.
(05:11):
Or I was like, yeah, they'resaying surgery is the best route
, and he's like, yeah, so how?
Speaker 3 (05:19):
did you?
When did you decide to see theortho?
Speaker 1 (05:22):
uh.
So I started that in uh 2021and then I I don't think I went
the couple flare ups, but thispast uh in 2023 was when I went
back to him.
So I went back to him in thefall and then had a follow-up in
in december and that's when hehe saw foot drop.
(05:43):
He saw the limping, theweakness in the foot and that's
when he said, okay, you need togo see a surgeon today.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Oh, today, yeah, so he called up the surgeon that he
referred and I was in that day.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
Oh, wow so did they consider that emergency surgery.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
It was an emergency now, since I didn't have any.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
The red flag symptoms .
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Yeah, no red flag symptoms.
But they said basically, thelonger you wait, the more likely
this is going to be a permanentissue and you might not get
that strength back and you mightnot walk with a full gait gait
anymore.
So I was like, okay, that's,yeah, that doesn't sound like
something I want to be involvedin so how did you feel?
Speaker 3 (06:31):
it feels like the choice of whether or not to get
surgery was kind of taken awayfrom you, or were you like
that's great, let's just do it?
Speaker 1 (06:38):
yeah, I think I did go through the kind of you see
it all the time where people youknow everyone tries to avoid
surgery.
Of course no one wants to gothrough that, but once I so I
had the first opinion from theortho, then surgeon and then I
saw a second surgeon and theyall kind of said the exact same
thing.
So I was like, okay, that's, Ithink three opinions is enough,
(06:58):
that this is the right thing todo for me because I wasn't
getting better right, I was justto say especially the months of
physical therapy, not yeah.
Yeah, I couldn't even like I wastrying all the McGill methods.
I was doing the big three asbest I could.
I was going on walks, but Icould only manage maybe 10
minutes before I was headingback, just in pain, just like
(07:20):
this isn't great for me.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
Were you in and out on the day of surgery or did you
have to spend the night I?
Speaker 1 (07:26):
was yeah.
The surgery, I think, was at 10am and I was home by about
three.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
Okay, how was your surgical?
Speaker 1 (07:34):
pain Pretty minimal.
The day after I was pretty sore, just like very stiff.
Then, like the following, likethree or four days, I was pretty
, pretty sore, just like verystiff.
Then then, like the following,like three or four days I was
pretty stiff.
But other than that, like the,the like incision was, you know,
sore, but I, I had a very, veryeasy recovery, not yeah, what
(07:59):
are you about?
Speaker 3 (08:00):
You're about seven months out, is that correct?
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Yep, yep, february 5th was my surgery.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
Okay, yeah, I went back to the Reddit just to say,
okay, users sign up on Redditand nobody tells me their name.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
Who am.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
I talking to today.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Okay, and so you're seven months out.
You just said that recovery waseasy.
Did you have any moments of ohmy gosh, I think I re-herniated.
I think everyone does.
You just said that thatrecovery was easy.
Did you have any moments of ohmy gosh, I think I reharneed it,
or?
Speaker 1 (08:28):
I think everyone does .
I don't think that's.
Yeah, but it was like you know,you I've I read probably every
thread that was posted on thatsubreddit for a solid month,
like I was.
I was reading every single,every single story and like give
it, give it a day or two, seehow it goes.
(08:48):
And then so the any kind offlare ups that I had were
luckily just very, very minor,mostly muscular, and I was, I
was up.
Well, I think I hit 10,000steps like five or six days
post-op.
So I was, I felt good almostright away.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
It was, it was amazing, awesome, um any
particular tools that you hadthat you found helpful during
your recovery.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Yeah, yeah.
So I did prep a bidet before Ididn't end up using it.
I was lucky with that.
The sock helper was great.
Once I did start going on walksoutside, I had like three
grabbers, I think, allthroughout the house.
They were just strewn about.
So whenever I had to picksomething up and then like a
(09:35):
sponge on a stick for forshowering was very helpful.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
Yeah, I think there's a surgery kit for hip surgery
that comes with those.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
That's exactly what I got and I didn't really use the
uh the dress helper dressing.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
That, that I didn't find that necessary, but other
than that I didn't find thatnecessary, but other than that,
yeah.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
I was very, very Milton about not bending lifting
, twisting, Did they tell you?
Speaker 1 (10:05):
six weeks, or did they say a different?
They they were.
My surgeon was almost like alittle too lax to where, like I
went above and beyond hisrecommendations.
He basically said no bending,lifting, twisting until the
first uh follow-up, which wastwo weeks out, and then, at the
two week, got a two week post-op.
He said like you're good, youdon't have to come back.
And I was like, can I come back?
(10:26):
So I kind of pushed for the sixweek, like I want you to tell
me like I can do this, I can dothis.
I just want your blessing.
Uh, so yeah, I I followed thesix weeks and I still kind of
don't bend, lift, twist as bestI can.
Um, at least you know bending.
Um, I am back in the gym so II'm doing some lifting, a
(10:50):
twisting, like I haven'treturned to golf and I'm not
sure I ever will.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
Oh, okay, I uh.
I am five years out and I stilllove rolling out of bed.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
Yeah, oh, absolutely yeah.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
I think that's just from now on.
Speaker 1 (11:04):
Now, it's a habit.
That's the way I get in and out.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
Yeah, yeah, so were you prescribed physical therapy
for after your surgery?
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Another one of those things.
My surgeon said you don't needit.
But I said I want it, I want togo see this or I want to go see
um, I want to go see a physicaltherapy therapist, I trust.
And I did a different one.
It wasn't the mcgill this time,because I found someone that
was a little closer um, whichwas nice, but same, very
(11:32):
one-on-one I.
I was working with a doctor ofphysical therapy the whole time.
It was the same person.
They were very so.
I started four weeks post-op,which was a little early.
I got a little pushback on thatbut my PT was very gentle.
The first two weeks it wasmostly just like very
preliminary, making sure theincision was good and all that.
(11:54):
So I went from week four toweek 10,.
Speaker 3 (11:56):
I believe, and how did you do with being such an
active person with beingrestricted for so many weeks?
Speaker 1 (12:04):
Yeah, it was.
It was an adjustment, I think II walked more in that first
month than I did the year before.
It was just like walking was mynew job was every day.
I had like an alarm set forevery hour.
At first I was getting up justdoing some laps in the living
room and then, once I was ableto go walk outside, I was going
(12:27):
on two, three walks a day, whichwas, yeah, I was at least able
to.
You know, because I I did puton some weight.
I did about, I think, 25 poundsin like the four or five months
I was inactive.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
Yes, dairy Queen was my emotional support while I was
recovering.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
Oh, yeah, oh yeah, I put some weight on too Lots of
ice cream?
Speaker 3 (12:50):
Yes, and when were you able to return to work?
Speaker 1 (12:55):
So I took two weeks completely off and then I did
two weeks from home and now, andthen four weeks I was back in
the office and they were very onmy my, my work was very
understanding and I dothankfully have a sit stand desk
.
Ok, I still alternate one hourup, one hour down.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
OK, yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
That was very key.
Sorry, I don't do a ton oflifting at work either, so that
was obviously very easy to makeaccommodations for me when I
returned.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
I have a job where I have to stand most of the time
and before the injury I would bebent over at a desk and then
since then I've raised my deskand haven't changed that.
I'll be having a raised deskfor the rest of my life, I think
.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
Absolutely, oh yeah.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
Keeps you active.
I like the standing desk morethan I did.
Speaker 3 (13:50):
Definitely, and what activities have you gotten back
to since your surgery?
Speaker 1 (13:55):
What activities have you gotten back to since your
surgery?
So I'm back on all forms ofbikes.
I'm back on mountain biking,which was my long-term goal,
which I would kind of put myselfin the fall.
I said, you know, by the fall,if I was back on my mountain
bike I'm over the moon.
But I think July, early July, Istarted and I've had very
(14:15):
little issue with, even with therepetitive hits that you kind
of get to this fine, but it'sbeen.
You know, I've dialed it back alittle bit.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
Okay, not quite the same level.
Speaker 3 (14:31):
I think we probably saw it, but we had somebody in
the forum who hit a bump on acar ride and was convinced that
they reherniated and came backto say no, I didn't reherniate
it.
So I hear you're on a mountainbike, just bumping all over the
place.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
Yeah, that's been the biggest surprise.
I mean, my surgeon said I cango back to mountain biking at
six weeks and I said absolutelynot.
Speaker 3 (14:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
Almost maybe.
Maybe you don't know what I'mdoing.
If you saw what I was doing,maybe not, but um.
Speaker 3 (15:03):
Have you ever ridden a mountain bike before?
Right.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
Yeah, even the smooth trails are still like you still
hit stuff and it's like, eh,but uh, I just came back from a
mountain biking trip where Irode four straight days for
three hours at a time.
I'm good, I'm doing my.
I'm doing a lot of like corework.
It's like I'm very, uh, verystrict about I have to stretch
before and after that's.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
I think that's been a big, big help to getting any
particular exercise moves thatyou feel were particularly
helpful or that you focus on now.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
Definitely do the bird dogs.
Bird dogs Doing a lot of kindof like open books, I think kind
of helps open up the rest of myback.
What else do I do?
I've been getting a little bitof like hip weirdness, which is
fairly common from what I couldtell.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
Um, so I do some hip stretching like yeah, moving my
legs back and forth whilekeeping my spine neutral yeah
yeah, but bird dogs havedefinitely been helpful for
strengthening the core I havethe unfortunate habit of being
someone who's like oh, I'mbetter now and stop doing yeah,
you know the exercise orwhatever and when I do that I
(16:19):
actually start to get pain inboth my hips, especially on long
walks.
Then I have to remind myselfyou got to keep doing the hip
exercises on top of you know allthe other things.
Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
And did you say you're?
weightlifting again and did yousay you were weightlifting again
.
Yeah, yeah.
So with the PT we startedadding kind of some lifting over
time, from, like, I think,weeks 8 through 10, we started
adding some twisting too.
So I've kind of it's been a lotof continuing what they were
working on.
(16:51):
They gave me a home exerciseprogram and I've kind of I've
added a core day to my lifting,along with the normal, you know,
chest day, and I have a leg day, which is a little bit
different.
Now, no, no squatting, no deadlifting, probably never will,
but we do have like a uh, I'dsay a belt squat so it sits on
(17:14):
your, at your hips instead of onyour back.
So, no, no pressure on thespine, but I could still do a
squat, a version of a squat thatdoesn't cause any pain.
Speaker 3 (17:24):
Okay, and did they limit how much weight you should
lift overhead?
Speaker 1 (17:29):
None that I, none that was conveyed to me.
I still aren't, I'm still notreally pushing anything in the
gym.
Sure, okay, maybe next year,you know, start.
But so far so good.
It's kind of okay yeah great.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
Now, matt, are you the one who um will post a?
Uh, a story from an athleteabout their herniated disc
experience is that you?
Speaker 1 (17:53):
um, I don't think so.
I think I.
I think I saw that thread.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
Oh, okay, somebody's come on and post it like here's
this golfer and here's thismountain biker.
Oh, that is me actually.
Yeah, that is you.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
Yeah, I love those stories.
Yeah, in early recovery, when Iwas just doing a ton of
research, I was looking up allthe different athletes, like Rob
Gronkowski we just had amountain biker at it the stuff
he's doing.
I'm very curious to see how hebounces back from the surgery,
because we're talking like he'sdropping off 50 foot cliffs oh,
(18:28):
wow so a little bit surgery yeah, yeah I mean I I wish him the
best and I hope he recovers aswell as I did I followed your
link for one.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
I think you put a Will a golfer.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (18:44):
And I reached out to them to be on my podcast, but
they never got back to me.
I'm too small yet.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
Yeah, maybe after the season they're just winding
down, maybe they'll have alittle more time.
Speaker 3 (18:56):
Yeah, so for people who are on the community or just
on the YouTube page, what wouldyou have to say to them?
Who's just starting with theherniated disc experience?
Speaker 1 (19:10):
Be patient, give yourself more time to recover
than you think.
Initial herniation, even beforesurgery.
I kind of forget, like I do myhome exercise stretches and then
I'd feel better and then repeatthe process.
Just keep working on your corestrength If you can do what you
(19:32):
can do what doesn't hurt.
You know, like walking wasmaking me hurt, but I was
pushing through it Cause that's,you know, that's the.
McGill method you walk, but itwasn't, it wasn't helping me.
So it's kind of you know,that's the McGill method you
walk, but it wasn't, it wasn'thelping me.
So it's kind of you know, dowhat doesn't hurt and then build
from there.
Definitely I even though Ithink surgery was the best thing
(19:54):
I've ever done don't rush intosurgery.
Do surgery when it makes sense.
Do surgery when it's still it'sthe option that that will help
you best.
And what's your go-to spot formountain biking?
Uh, so in new jersey we do havea quite a bit of spots, but my
favorite is always going to bevermont it's, it's so beautiful
(20:15):
up there, yeah okay, yeah it's alittle smoother too actually
oh is it yeah, less rocks upthere.
Speaker 3 (20:20):
Oh, interesting.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
Yeah Right, it feels backwards.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
but yeah Well, that's great, Matt.
I'm so glad to hear that you'redoing so well and slowly
getting back into your hobbies.
I'm sure people will justappreciate seeing that you can
get past this Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
Yeah, yeah, I, I'm so grateful it's given me my life
back.
It was, uh, it was, a rough fewmonths and I'm sure you know,
I'm sure I'm not alone with witha positive, a positive story
which you know, on the forums,the facebook groups.
It's even now like when I firstwas in these groups.
(21:01):
You know the early recovery,that's all I was doing.
You know I was home.
I first was in these groups.
The early recovery, that's allI was doing.
I was home, I was just in thegroups, even though I was having
a good recovery, I was postingabout it.
But now it's like seven monthsout, I try to pop back in, I try
to give a voice of positiverecovery, but it's tough.
I commend you for running allthis because it's great.
(21:21):
Everyone should see the varietyof outcomes that surgery can
give.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
I appreciate you commenting.
Even if it's a little bit, inthe community they love to see
the recovery.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
Thank you, it's such a pleasure to meet you.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
Yeah, thank you for having me.
It was nice to talk recoveryagain.
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 3 (21:42):
It was nice to talk recovery again, if you are a
listener and you have a positivestory of recovery from a
serious neck or back injury,head over to bedbackbeyondcom
and click share your story.
I would love to include yourvoice on the show.
Matt, once again, good luck inthe rest of your healing and.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
I'm sure you'll get back to golfing.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
I hope so.
Speaker 3 (22:04):
Bye-bye.
It was after a round of golf and I basically just
completely locked up back spasmsand I was able to get through
that conservatively.
It kind of slowly, slowlyprogressed over.
You know six weeks or so withsome PT, so that wasn't.
I didn't really get the sciaticpain at first and then I had a
(00:21):
couple flare-ups.
Basically it was like everyfall I'd be going through this
and then this past October of2023 was where it started to
really go downhill.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Welcome to Bed Back and Beyond, sharing positive
stories of recovery from seriousback or neck injury.
Your host is CK, a fellowchampion who draws on her own
experience with herniated discsurgery.
Join her as she talks withothers who have overcome the
physical and emotional trauma ofa painful injury and discover
(00:58):
for yourself how you can findhope and encouragement in
recovery.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Hi Matt.
Thank you so much for joiningme on this episode of Bed Back
Beyond.
Before we dive into your injury, why don't you tell us a little
bit about yourself?
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Sure, my name is Matt , I'm 34.
I live in New Jersey.
I'm a very, very active person.
That's kind of what it stemmedfrom, what my injury stemmed
from.
I'm very, very big intomountain biking, all things,
cycling.
I was a big golfer before theinjury, played baseball growing
up, so it was just a lot ofthings.
(01:35):
Yeah, married, no kids.
Yeah, I work in IT, so I sit alot of the day.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
When did you start to notice an issue with your back?
Speaker 1 (01:48):
So the initial injury was back in 2021.
It was after a round of golf.
I basically just completelylocked up back spasms and I was
able to get through thatconservatively.
It kind of slowly, slowlyprogressed over you know six
weeks or so, with some PT, sothat wasn't I didn't really get
(02:10):
the sciatic pain at first, andthen I had a couple flare ups.
Basically it was like everyfall I'd be going through this.
And then this past yeah,october of 2023 was where it
started to really go downhill.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Okay For me, even as a teenager.
I would throw my back out, feltlike every other year and my
parents and my sisters the same.
So I my back started to act upin April and it just felt like
the normal.
Oh, I threw my back out, yeah,but it just didn't get better.
Usually that clears up withinthree weeks, yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
That's kind of the way I ended up.
Yeah, usually sciatic painwasn't a part of mine either.
Right, a new symptom that I waslike.
That's not great.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Right, so you got some back pain when you were
golfing.
When did the sciatic pain startto move in?
Speaker 1 (03:08):
So that was after I not so wisely as my wife would
put it, uh went on a mountainbiking trip, I came back and I
was pushing through it and onthe bike I never really got much
pain, which was which is like agood thing, um.
But when I got back it wasclearly like I had a lot of
(03:28):
pelvic tilt, so I was veryclearly over leaning to one side
, yeah, okay.
My initial PT um misdiagnosedthat a little bit as actual
pelvic tilt.
But once I got my surgery itkind of I was walking up right
that day.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
So um, yeah it was it was about.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
November, november, I was feeling a little bit better
, and then, december, I took oneride, got back and I knew
something was very off.
I couldn't really, I couldn'treally walk at that point.
I was, you know, bedridden.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
What kind of symptoms were you having in November?
Speaker 1 (04:09):
So November was kind of the difficult back pain, just
a lot of stiffness.
I've still able to go about mylife.
Sitting was a littleuncomfortable I was kind of
always cognizant of that.
And then, yeah, the sciaticpain.
Once that came, that was when Istarted.
I started getting foot drop, Istarted getting, yeah, really
(04:31):
bad tilt, and I switched pts atthat point because that was
where I was like I don't thinkthis.
Uh, the first pt was reallyworking for me.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
they were focused on the pelvic tilt instead of the
herniation, so Okay, and so didthe new PT say hey, this, this
might be a herniation.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Yeah, yeah, I did end up going.
I I'm lucky I have a McGillmaster clinician about 20
minutes from me, so I waswilling to pay out of pocket.
I was like you know what thisis.
I got to get this fixed and hewasn't particularly surprised
when I came back.
I think I got.
I had like a follow-up with myortho, uh, about three weeks
after I started with him and hewasn't too surprised.
(05:11):
Or I was like, yeah, they'resaying surgery is the best route
, and he's like, yeah, so how?
Speaker 3 (05:19):
did you?
When did you decide to see theortho?
Speaker 1 (05:22):
uh.
So I started that in uh 2021and then I I don't think I went
the couple flare ups, but thispast uh in 2023 was when I went
back to him.
So I went back to him in thefall and then had a follow-up in
in december and that's when hehe saw foot drop.
(05:43):
He saw the limping, theweakness in the foot and that's
when he said, okay, you need togo see a surgeon today.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Oh, today, yeah, so he called up the surgeon that he
referred and I was in that day.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
Oh, wow so did they consider that emergency surgery.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
It was an emergency now, since I didn't have any.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
The red flag symptoms .
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Yeah, no red flag symptoms.
But they said basically, thelonger you wait, the more likely
this is going to be a permanentissue and you might not get
that strength back and you mightnot walk with a full gait gait
anymore.
So I was like, okay, that's,yeah, that doesn't sound like
something I want to be involvedin so how did you feel?
Speaker 3 (06:31):
it feels like the choice of whether or not to get
surgery was kind of taken awayfrom you, or were you like
that's great, let's just do it?
Speaker 1 (06:38):
yeah, I think I did go through the kind of you see
it all the time where people youknow everyone tries to avoid
surgery.
Of course no one wants to gothrough that, but once I so I
had the first opinion from theortho, then surgeon and then I
saw a second surgeon and theyall kind of said the exact same
thing.
So I was like, okay, that's, Ithink three opinions is enough,
(06:58):
that this is the right thing todo for me because I wasn't
getting better right, I was justto say especially the months of
physical therapy, not yeah.
Yeah, I couldn't even like I wastrying all the McGill methods.
I was doing the big three asbest I could.
I was going on walks, but Icould only manage maybe 10
minutes before I was headingback, just in pain, just like
(07:20):
this isn't great for me.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
Were you in and out on the day of surgery or did you
have to spend the night I?
Speaker 1 (07:26):
was yeah.
The surgery, I think, was at 10am and I was home by about
three.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
Okay, how was your surgical?
Speaker 1 (07:34):
pain Pretty minimal.
The day after I was pretty sore, just like very stiff.
Then, like the following, likethree or four days, I was pretty
, pretty sore, just like verystiff.
Then then, like the following,like three or four days I was
pretty stiff.
But other than that, like the,the like incision was, you know,
sore, but I, I had a very, veryeasy recovery, not yeah, what
(07:59):
are you about?
Speaker 3 (08:00):
You're about seven months out, is that correct?
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Yep, yep, february 5th was my surgery.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
Okay, yeah, I went back to the Reddit just to say,
okay, users sign up on Redditand nobody tells me their name.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
Who am.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
I talking to today.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Okay, and so you're seven months out.
You just said that recovery waseasy.
Did you have any moments of ohmy gosh, I think I re-herniated.
I think everyone does.
You just said that thatrecovery was easy.
Did you have any moments of ohmy gosh, I think I reharneed it,
or?
Speaker 1 (08:28):
I think everyone does .
I don't think that's.
Yeah, but it was like you know,you I've I read probably every
thread that was posted on thatsubreddit for a solid month,
like I was.
I was reading every single,every single story and like give
it, give it a day or two, seehow it goes.
(08:48):
And then so the any kind offlare ups that I had were
luckily just very, very minor,mostly muscular, and I was, I
was up.
Well, I think I hit 10,000steps like five or six days
post-op.
So I was, I felt good almostright away.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
It was, it was amazing, awesome, um any
particular tools that you hadthat you found helpful during
your recovery.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Yeah, yeah.
So I did prep a bidet before Ididn't end up using it.
I was lucky with that.
The sock helper was great.
Once I did start going on walksoutside, I had like three
grabbers, I think, allthroughout the house.
They were just strewn about.
So whenever I had to picksomething up and then like a
(09:35):
sponge on a stick for forshowering was very helpful.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
Yeah, I think there's a surgery kit for hip surgery
that comes with those.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
That's exactly what I got and I didn't really use the
uh the dress helper dressing.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
That, that I didn't find that necessary, but other
than that I didn't find thatnecessary, but other than that,
yeah.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
I was very, very Milton about not bending lifting
, twisting, Did they tell you?
Speaker 1 (10:05):
six weeks, or did they say a different?
They they were.
My surgeon was almost like alittle too lax to where, like I
went above and beyond hisrecommendations.
He basically said no bending,lifting, twisting until the
first uh follow-up, which wastwo weeks out, and then, at the
two week, got a two week post-op.
He said like you're good, youdon't have to come back.
And I was like, can I come back?
(10:26):
So I kind of pushed for the sixweek, like I want you to tell
me like I can do this, I can dothis.
I just want your blessing.
Uh, so yeah, I I followed thesix weeks and I still kind of
don't bend, lift, twist as bestI can.
Um, at least you know bending.
Um, I am back in the gym so II'm doing some lifting, a
(10:50):
twisting, like I haven'treturned to golf and I'm not
sure I ever will.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
Oh, okay, I uh.
I am five years out and I stilllove rolling out of bed.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
Yeah, oh, absolutely yeah.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
I think that's just from now on.
Speaker 1 (11:04):
Now, it's a habit.
That's the way I get in and out.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
Yeah, yeah, so were you prescribed physical therapy
for after your surgery?
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Another one of those things.
My surgeon said you don't needit.
But I said I want it, I want togo see this or I want to go see
um, I want to go see a physicaltherapy therapist, I trust.
And I did a different one.
It wasn't the mcgill this time,because I found someone that
was a little closer um, whichwas nice, but same, very
(11:32):
one-on-one I.
I was working with a doctor ofphysical therapy the whole time.
It was the same person.
They were very so.
I started four weeks post-op,which was a little early.
I got a little pushback on thatbut my PT was very gentle.
The first two weeks it wasmostly just like very
preliminary, making sure theincision was good and all that.
(11:54):
So I went from week four toweek 10,.
Speaker 3 (11:56):
I believe, and how did you do with being such an
active person with beingrestricted for so many weeks?
Speaker 1 (12:04):
Yeah, it was.
It was an adjustment, I think II walked more in that first
month than I did the year before.
It was just like walking was mynew job was every day.
I had like an alarm set forevery hour.
At first I was getting up justdoing some laps in the living
room and then, once I was ableto go walk outside, I was going
(12:27):
on two, three walks a day, whichwas, yeah, I was at least able
to.
You know, because I I did puton some weight.
I did about, I think, 25 poundsin like the four or five months
I was inactive.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
Yes, dairy Queen was my emotional support while I was
recovering.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
Oh, yeah, oh yeah, I put some weight on too Lots of
ice cream?
Speaker 3 (12:50):
Yes, and when were you able to return to work?
Speaker 1 (12:55):
So I took two weeks completely off and then I did
two weeks from home and now, andthen four weeks I was back in
the office and they were very onmy my, my work was very
understanding and I dothankfully have a sit stand desk
.
Ok, I still alternate one hourup, one hour down.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
OK, yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
That was very key.
Sorry, I don't do a ton oflifting at work either, so that
was obviously very easy to makeaccommodations for me when I
returned.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
I have a job where I have to stand most of the time
and before the injury I would bebent over at a desk and then
since then I've raised my deskand haven't changed that.
I'll be having a raised deskfor the rest of my life, I think
.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
Absolutely, oh yeah.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
Keeps you active.
I like the standing desk morethan I did.
Speaker 3 (13:50):
Definitely, and what activities have you gotten back
to since your surgery?
Speaker 1 (13:55):
What activities have you gotten back to since your
surgery?
So I'm back on all forms ofbikes.
I'm back on mountain biking,which was my long-term goal,
which I would kind of put myselfin the fall.
I said, you know, by the fall,if I was back on my mountain
bike I'm over the moon.
But I think July, early July, Istarted and I've had very
(14:15):
little issue with, even with therepetitive hits that you kind
of get to this fine, but it'sbeen.
You know, I've dialed it back alittle bit.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
Okay, not quite the same level.
Speaker 3 (14:31):
I think we probably saw it, but we had somebody in
the forum who hit a bump on acar ride and was convinced that
they reherniated and came backto say no, I didn't reherniate
it.
So I hear you're on a mountainbike, just bumping all over the
place.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
Yeah, that's been the biggest surprise.
I mean, my surgeon said I cango back to mountain biking at
six weeks and I said absolutelynot.
Speaker 3 (14:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
Almost maybe.
Maybe you don't know what I'mdoing.
If you saw what I was doing,maybe not, but um.
Speaker 3 (15:03):
Have you ever ridden a mountain bike before?
Right.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
Yeah, even the smooth trails are still like you still
hit stuff and it's like, eh,but uh, I just came back from a
mountain biking trip where Irode four straight days for
three hours at a time.
I'm good, I'm doing my.
I'm doing a lot of like corework.
It's like I'm very, uh, verystrict about I have to stretch
before and after that's.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
I think that's been a big, big help to getting any
particular exercise moves thatyou feel were particularly
helpful or that you focus on now.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
Definitely do the bird dogs.
Bird dogs Doing a lot of kindof like open books, I think kind
of helps open up the rest of myback.
What else do I do?
I've been getting a little bitof like hip weirdness, which is
fairly common from what I couldtell.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
Um, so I do some hip stretching like yeah, moving my
legs back and forth whilekeeping my spine neutral yeah
yeah, but bird dogs havedefinitely been helpful for
strengthening the core I havethe unfortunate habit of being
someone who's like oh, I'mbetter now and stop doing yeah,
you know the exercise orwhatever and when I do that I
(16:19):
actually start to get pain inboth my hips, especially on long
walks.
Then I have to remind myselfyou got to keep doing the hip
exercises on top of you know allthe other things.
Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
And did you say you're?
weightlifting again and did yousay you were weightlifting again
.
Yeah, yeah.
So with the PT we startedadding kind of some lifting over
time, from, like, I think,weeks 8 through 10, we started
adding some twisting too.
So I've kind of it's been a lotof continuing what they were
working on.
(16:51):
They gave me a home exerciseprogram and I've kind of I've
added a core day to my lifting,along with the normal, you know,
chest day, and I have a leg day, which is a little bit
different.
Now, no, no squatting, no deadlifting, probably never will,
but we do have like a uh, I'dsay a belt squat so it sits on
(17:14):
your, at your hips instead of onyour back.
So, no, no pressure on thespine, but I could still do a
squat, a version of a squat thatdoesn't cause any pain.
Speaker 3 (17:24):
Okay, and did they limit how much weight you should
lift overhead?
Speaker 1 (17:29):
None that I, none that was conveyed to me.
I still aren't, I'm still notreally pushing anything in the
gym.
Sure, okay, maybe next year,you know, start.
But so far so good.
It's kind of okay yeah great.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
Now, matt, are you the one who um will post a?
Uh, a story from an athleteabout their herniated disc
experience is that you?
Speaker 1 (17:53):
um, I don't think so.
I think I.
I think I saw that thread.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
Oh, okay, somebody's come on and post it like here's
this golfer and here's thismountain biker.
Oh, that is me actually.
Yeah, that is you.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
Yeah, I love those stories.
Yeah, in early recovery, when Iwas just doing a ton of
research, I was looking up allthe different athletes, like Rob
Gronkowski we just had amountain biker at it the stuff
he's doing.
I'm very curious to see how hebounces back from the surgery,
because we're talking like he'sdropping off 50 foot cliffs oh,
(18:28):
wow so a little bit surgery yeah, yeah I mean I I wish him the
best and I hope he recovers aswell as I did I followed your
link for one.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
I think you put a Will a golfer.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (18:44):
And I reached out to them to be on my podcast, but
they never got back to me.
I'm too small yet.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
Yeah, maybe after the season they're just winding
down, maybe they'll have alittle more time.
Speaker 3 (18:56):
Yeah, so for people who are on the community or just
on the YouTube page, what wouldyou have to say to them?
Who's just starting with theherniated disc experience?
Speaker 1 (19:10):
Be patient, give yourself more time to recover
than you think.
Initial herniation, even beforesurgery.
I kind of forget, like I do myhome exercise stretches and then
I'd feel better and then repeatthe process.
Just keep working on your corestrength If you can do what you
(19:32):
can do what doesn't hurt.
You know, like walking wasmaking me hurt, but I was
pushing through it Cause that's,you know, that's the.
McGill method you walk, but itwasn't, it wasn't helping me.
So it's kind of you know,that's the McGill method you
walk, but it wasn't, it wasn'thelping me.
So it's kind of you know, dowhat doesn't hurt and then build
from there.
Definitely I even though Ithink surgery was the best thing
(19:54):
I've ever done don't rush intosurgery.
Do surgery when it makes sense.
Do surgery when it's still it'sthe option that that will help
you best.
And what's your go-to spot formountain biking?
Uh, so in new jersey we do havea quite a bit of spots, but my
favorite is always going to bevermont it's, it's so beautiful
(20:15):
up there, yeah okay, yeah it's alittle smoother too actually
oh is it yeah, less rocks upthere.
Speaker 3 (20:20):
Oh, interesting.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
Yeah Right, it feels backwards.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
but yeah Well, that's great, Matt.
I'm so glad to hear that you'redoing so well and slowly
getting back into your hobbies.
I'm sure people will justappreciate seeing that you can
get past this Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
Yeah, yeah, I, I'm so grateful it's given me my life
back.
It was, uh, it was, a rough fewmonths and I'm sure you know,
I'm sure I'm not alone with witha positive, a positive story
which you know, on the forums,the facebook groups.
It's even now like when I firstwas in these groups.
(21:01):
You know the early recovery,that's all I was doing.
You know I was home.
I first was in these groups.
The early recovery, that's allI was doing.
I was home, I was just in thegroups, even though I was having
a good recovery, I was postingabout it.
But now it's like seven monthsout, I try to pop back in, I try
to give a voice of positiverecovery, but it's tough.
I commend you for running allthis because it's great.
(21:21):
Everyone should see the varietyof outcomes that surgery can
give.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
I appreciate you commenting.
Even if it's a little bit, inthe community they love to see
the recovery.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
Thank you, it's such a pleasure to meet you.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
Yeah, thank you for having me.
It was nice to talk recoveryagain.
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 3 (21:42):
It was nice to talk recovery again, if you are a
listener and you have a positivestory of recovery from a
serious neck or back injury,head over to bedbackbeyondcom
and click share your story.
I would love to include yourvoice on the show.
Matt, once again, good luck inthe rest of your healing and.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
I'm sure you'll get back to golfing.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
I hope so.
Speaker 3 (22:04):
Bye-bye.
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