Hi

I am a 29yo police officer who injured my back being a ruptured disc at L5/S1 level on the job in late 2004. since then I have been putting on a brave face and continued to work, stupidly enough!!
I have done the physio thing without success and have been managing the pain with Endone, Tramadol, Valium, Painadine Forte for a while now.
I am lucky i suppose in the fact that I did this injury at work and have been looked after well. After seing 3 neurosureons and an orthopedic surgeon I am now booked in for a spinal fusion using an anterior approach. ( I declined the prosthetic disc replacement)
I am new to this chat room thing and guess I am looking for anybody that has had similar injury or experience to me.
I am especially interested in the recovery aspect as I am formally a competative powerlifter and lead a very active lifestyle.
What percentage of people return to a normal active lifestyle after this procedure?