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Thread: Spinal Injuries

  1. #1
    New Member nicolaasdekker's Avatar
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    Spinal Injuries

    Hi,

    I was wondering how many here suffer from back problems?

    I lived in daily pain for years from herniated disks before eventually managing to get it under control after which I started to get out there and have adventures again but hurt myself in Tajikistan leading to Cauda Equina Syndrome but because diagnoses and getting airlifted for surgery took so long I now have permanent nerve damage and muscle dystrophy in my right leg.

    I was recently retrenched due to Covid, as many were, and I think it's time for something big, an around the world type adventure, paddle/sail/hike/cycle tour. I've been toying with the idea for years and making mini-trips but now with nothing really holding me back now is the time to go.

    Looking to tap into the accumulated experiences here to help me on this journey.

    Cheers
    Last edited by nicolaasdekker; 12-14-2020 at 07:49.
    Solvitur ambulando

  2. #2
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    I'm just one of what I guess is a long list of HF members with spinal & other injuries but who somehow manage to keep going, although perhaps (as in my case) at a more measured pace and with a little more preparation to accommodate physical limitations. Mine go back more than 40 years due to several misadventures: a few bicycle racing crashes; then an epic skiing wipeout; that time my car slipped over a cliff on an icy mountain pass; and later a rather nasty car accident in the early '80s that my Drs later said should have been the end of me (a semi on the freeway smashed my little pickup quite flat).


    All told, I've had a couple of bad concussions, reconstructed jaw, broken bones & torn ligaments all over, 3 herniated disks & broken facets in back & neck, resulting in several surgeries including spine fusions and years of physical therapy. All that has left me with nagging sciatica, nerve damage & pain & poor circulation in legs & feet, almost constant neck & lower back pain with limited range of motion, vision in just one eye, poor balance & uneven gait, headaches, and bouts of depression that so often result after head injuries and long-lasting pain. Now arthritis is also in the mix due to all those old bumps and scrapes, advancing age, and genetic heritage. But I survived my youthful indiscretions and misfortunes, and things could be a lot worse! I can walk and talk again, and most days are tolerable or even good as long as I don't over-do it or dwell on troubles I can't fix. With meditation (and with enjoyable distraction!) I'm able to avoid pain meds except OTC occasionally to take the edge off (luckily I never got hooked on years of prescribed opioids), so I count myself very lucky indeed! On especially bad days I just do what I can of my usual stretches and then wait it out in my big comfy hammock with a good book, music, maybe a movie, and sleep. Tomorrow usually is better as long as I don't stress too much about today. My hammock is powerful therapy!


    The up-side of all that is, I can walk again now, more days than not, for short hikes (not rough trails or climbing) with a 20-25 lb pack. Boots and shoes are hard to fit my damaged feet comfortably without inducing cramps, so that also limits how much I can tolerate hiking (although I currently live on a big property in the woods so hiking for hours to a good camp site is optional if I just want to be out). And I have a really hard time getting up & down on the ground (bad knees) so I have no use for a tent & pad, but that's no loss! Ever since I was a little kid I slept most nights in a hammock instead of a bed, so when I finally recovered enough to get into the woods again it just made sense to pack a lightweight hammock instead of my tent & pad. A few years before I joined HF and read about different types of hammocks & fabrics, Amsteel and how to splice it, underquilts, and polysil, my first camping hammock was really primitive DIY: just a length of ripstop nylon fabric, clothesline cordage, tree savers cut from a bike inner tube, a plastic shower curtain liner for tarp, and the down mummy bag I'd made in the '70's from a Frostline kit. It was just enough to get me out there again on occasional overnights with good weather, and I couldn't have been happier for the freedom. Since then I've upgraded considerably in the way of materials and methods, but my gear is still light & simple & DIY because my needs are few and I enjoy making my own. I'm certainly not expedition-ready as you plan to be, and my little forays are considerably less ambitious than you have in mind, but if you poke around the Forums you'll find lots of folks here who live some of the adventures you hope to embark on and that I only dream of!


    All that is a long way of saying, don't let your injuries stop you from doing what you think you can safely handle, given a few ounces of good sense, a lot of prep, and a backup plan in case you find you're not quite up to what you'd anticipated. If you have a dream to travel and if you have the means & can muster up the stamina, I say start making your plans, gather your gear, and go for it. All the best, and keep us posted!
    Last edited by WhollyHamaca; 12-15-2020 at 03:31. Reason: typos

  3. #3
    Senior Member Cabbo's Avatar
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    Three weeks out from a week in hospital after a mountain bike crash... where l support a fractured neck, skull, jaw and three cracked ribs l was back in my hammock.... l find the bed aggravating too my lower back.... Suffering for 25 years from 3 disc bulges a large degree of sciatic pain into my foot due to a car accident alongside manual labouring...

    The hammock or hammocks never too far from reach for the hang sesh!

    Mind you l contribute myself, disciplined to a routine of stretching and exercises...

    Through letting go of your worries you can still accomplish to enjoy many wonderful experiences when you can allow for it.

  4. #4
    Senior Member Pop_Eye's Avatar
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    The first time I was in a hammock, my normal back pain was not there.

    I’ve car camped maybe 6 times in the last 10 years because of injury and other joint issues.

    I’ve been backpacking and camping at least 8 times since July when I received my camping hammock. Waking up without the stiffness and pain every morning.

    Hammock camping got me back out doors! The farthest I hike is maybe 5 miles from my parking spot. Still, for me, an adventure worth taking.

    I’m glad you are still getting outdoors and able to enjoy!

  5. #5
    joe_guilbeau's Avatar
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    Stretch, stretch, stretch. Non-impact resistance training. I have titanium in both legs, 5-surgeries, and it is all about eating organic Keto and keeping the limbs stretched.

    When watching TV, lie down on a mat and do leg lifts, resistance arm curls, etc...

  6. #6
    Senior Member Aardvark's Avatar
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    Degenerative disc (between L3 and L5), with quite a few bulging discs and small non-cancerous tumors in Dura... had Lower Back pain maybe 20 years. 3 things I have found... a) ultralight is more than just a challenge, it is necessary. b) Hammocks help immensely, before when I was a ground hugger, 4 hours sleep was my limit for comfort, now I find myself sleeping upwards of 10-11 hours when hammocking (for comparison, 6 hours in a bed). c) Backpack that is non-framed actually feels good, concentrates a little heat to curvature of the spine... I made a variant of the Gossamer Gear G4 ultralite (mine is 13.7oz, carries 11lb fall/spring/summer load well, 13.5lb winter load like a champ.

    Managing hikes, I can still to the 10 miles per day in rough terrain pretty well augmented with Ibu, stretching, and a 1.5lb Alite copy of chair with back support. Boots go on the feet in the morning laying on my back on ground cloth, which is part of the stretching (can't sit in hammock and "shod" myself, sciatic from disc compression lights me up with a coyote howl). As long as my feet and legs are good, and I keep myself <220lbs, I am good to go at 57yo.
    .... the Aardvark (earth pig)... a rather unremarkable creature whose sole claim to fame is that it is the first animal listed in the dictionary.
    Rob

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