How did everyone injure themselves in the first place?
 

I was always very active. Active Duty Navy. I was a marathon runner for over a decade. which I am very proud of. I have also been in 3 car wrecks that gave me severe whiplash. Now its adding up. I cant move my head from side to side without assistance from my hands.

I just wanted to get a feel for everyones injuries. I can see most of the surgical work done in the signature portion of everyones profile. I have not had surgery yet, it has been offered, not sure how I feel about getting my neck worked on. Some of the complications that some of you guys have experienced have me pretty scared, I also have noticed lots of failed surgeries. Has anyone else? What do you all think the cause of that is?

I will be reading these posts here, unless the true Spiney's think I should be somewhwere else. Not really sure what makes a spiney----have a suspicion it means you have had surgery, pls correct me if I am wrong.

I hope everyone has a pleasant evening. Thanks in advance for responding.

Falling from tree...20 ft.
diving shallow water...twice
motorcycle wreck..direct blow to pavement with head @ 40 mph..no helmet
car wreck..side hit then into a large tree
fall from roof

I could go on but as all the docs say..."You are a walking miracle."

I cannot pin down one particular thing for my cervical herniations, and other problems, except maybe two bicycle crashes, one rather severe at 20mph over the handlebars and another mild one into a car, which whip-lashed my neck back when I hit the hood with my jaw. :o

My lumbar problems are most likely from a ladder fall in 2005.

My Thoracic, which is undiagnosed, would also be from the ladder fall.

No surgery but have had the RF procedure done on C3/4 and part of C2!

Jyes

Hi Longdogs, first off you are very welcome here. It doesn't matter if you have had surgery or not. You have spinal problems so this is the place. Even if you didn't would it matter? I would like to hope this is a place where all are welcome.

I was injured in a MVA 4 years ago this month. I have had an ACDF C5-C6, rotator cuff repair and wrist...well after 3 surgeries on my wrist it has a mind of its own on whether it will work or not (usually not ;) ) I also have syringomyelia from the trauma to my neck. Now on top of that I have lumbar issues with a ruptured disk and a couple of herniations which I believe are from falling on my big butt too many times. Yes I have vertigo problems also.

So that is me in a nutshell but that is not who I am entirely. I am a wife, mom, friend, sister, aunt...well you get the picture. I am a person with a disease not a diseased person. :) ...Sue

Welcome to spineyland! You are so welcome here, and will find lots of advice, info, and true friends. I am sorry for what brings you here, and hope you find what all of us (at least me) keep coming back for--talking to others who understand, have been through the procedures and tests you may face, with advice, and a lot of care, concern, and good wishes!
I had a car accident in Feb, 2005. I injured my back and right shoulder. Since then, I have had over 40 visits with physical therapists, 19 cortisone injections (15 in the lumbar spine, 3 in the rotator cuff, and 1 in the hip) MRI's, CT scans, myelgram, lots of x-rays, and surgery (fusion L5 S1).
As of today, I am glad I had my surgery (2 months ago). So far, so good! My sister had a cervical fusion a few years back, and she is very happy with the results.
A lot of the success stories move on, and come and visit, but not as often as the unsuccessful stories. So, hopefully, you will hear both sides.
Keep us posted, and keep in touch!
Carolyn

Interesting question, only I didn't injure myself. Nature or Life handed me my spinal problems. I thought a tumble down the stairs was the onset but my doctor said it would have happened, eventually, no matter what. But, man-o-man, how I so much wanted to fault the company that procrastinated in repairing my heater - the Winter I went without heat due to flubs on that new motor being installed. I thought, "If only..." this and that. It wasn't anyone's fault, however. Nature was waiting in the wings ready to strike when it felt ready, and, it sure hurt a lot!

If I could take back one moment in time: It would be the night I went upstairs to get my toothpaste and toothbrush, knowing full-well that my limbs were numb.

I choke on my own breathing at times, and, y'know, still there is the hope against hope it's just not spinal, but my doc told me today: It's my neck. I wanna cry, but... I don't really think I have time (or, I don't want to make time; I don't like thinking or focusing on internal "stuff.").

I do think back, and my mind floods itself with wishful thoughts. The reality is, however, this is my reality whether I like it or not.

I try to bury my thoughts on things I can do rather than the things I can no longer engage in. I'm okay with that. I'm not totally "at peace" with everything, but... given more time, more adjustment will take place.

It's a hard, long, tear-filled road - from there to now, I assure.

P.S.: I truly loved the place my Life was prior to my spinal injury; I felt at home. I'm sorta reaching that place once again. If I may offer? Never give up and find enjoyment in the new horizons you can reach. We don't have to change on the inside... nothing has to alter that. It's just re-discovery, maybe :).

My own sheer stupidity.
I refused to believe what my body was desperately trying to tell me, but instead I chose to believe my father, my division CPO, my bosses, and finally my own ego.
Now, I pay.

Much love and

Lumbar back injury lifting weights way back when I was young and stupid. Now I'm old and still stupid with a bad back. One lumbar surgery at L4/L5 left side. It was a success. But, because I felt renewed and free of pain, I didn't pay much attention to body mechanics when lifting things, such as groceries from the car, 50# of cracked corn for my bird feeders, pushing power mower up a steep hill, etc., I reinjured my back and now live a life of severe pain - muscle spasms, sciatica, and all that fun stuff. I'm more careful when I lift a can of peas or reach for a cup of coffee. Isn't life great?

crity

I kinda think it was when I was about 8 or 9. I fell out of a second story window and landed on my hands and knees on ice over concrete. A dumb accident.... Yes, I have had both shoulders operated on as well. Plus, my mom and several of my siblings have problems with their backs, but I'm the only one with surgeries for it.

My problems are not from an injury, just some awful genes, I guess. My regular docs often ask, but the surgeons tell me that because of the extent; cervical, thoracic, and lumbar, and severity of the degeneration, it is genetic.

My father suffered with spinal problems and it was why he died at such a young age, 66. People always thought he "looked" physically fit, but he actually died from a massive heart attack. I think it was living with chronic daily pain that really killed him. He did not have adequate pain management as most of us do not and I think that is what took years off his life in the end.

I often wonder though if it was the time I did somersaults down the stairs as child, or the time the horse took off and just about knocked my head off as I ducked under a tree, or the old drunk that rear-ended me when I was a teenager, or the time I flew into the air and landed on my butt while skateboarding, the fall down the steps when I tore the ligaments in my leg, I was also an amusement park enthusiast and made many trips to Disney World and lived at Hershey Park in the summer...I ice skated as child so maybe it was the falls on the hard ice...or the falls I took skiing..My list of things I did that could have caused it are extensive and I keep adding to it...but I have resigned myself to believing that it is just genetics...Maybe some of us are just too fragile to do these things...but you have to enjoy life too...

I worry about my kids...My youngest is 14 and playing football against my better judgement..I just do not like football...It is a sport for gladiators....My son is not built like a gladiator...I am trying to encourage him to be the one that kicks the ball for extra points...He is practicing...but he kicked it and for some reason got pains up into his lower back and neck....He was so scared he hurt his spine..I had to explain to him that he is from time to time going to do things in life to cause pain in his body, but that does not mean he will have my spinal problems...at least I hope not....It is in the back of my mind, but we have to encourage them to go out and live...but I wish it was golf or track or something....not a contact sport like football...

I personally think someone has a voodoo doll somewhere and they are just sitting there sticking it with pins saying today ....she will have pain in the....let's see.....yes...sciatica...and maybe a little hip pain...too....HAH!

Gloria, my son is 12, this is his 6th season playing football, and had his 1st practice last night from getting back from a broken collar bone he got in practice. He had a bad tackle, and got a bad bruise/knot on his neck. His 1st game he will play in is tomorrow. I will be chewing on my fingernails!
I worried before the injury, and now............
Plus, I hope he didn't loose his MoJo--he is a bit nervous about playing.
What position does your son play?
Carolyn

Carolyn,

He is playing corner back...Is that the right name for the position? He is not very big and on the thin side, so I pray when he goes out that he is not up against a kid that is big! :) These kids do not know how they make us worry...I went out and bought him a tee last week and he is practicing kicking the ball every night...so maybe he will get good and they will have him do that...I can only hope!

skateboard accident.

(i stepped on one i didn't see and got slammed back into an exercise bike).

Wow, it looks like we all kinda have the same injuries. I feel kinda like I am gonna be like this for the rest of my life. Im not sure how I feel about doctors cutting on my neck. Especially since I had the shots in my neck and I hurt worse now.

Injured at work
 

I got injured at the drive up bank window. My last duty of the day as general manager was to make the daily bank deposits on my way home. This day I had to buy 400.00 worth of rolled coin for the business. At the drive up window I had to pull a 40-60lb bag of coin from the teller window and twist and put the bag on the passenger seat of my car. I herniated a disc with this twisting and pulling of the coin bag.

I was a passenger in our car when we were rear ended 3 years ago. The impact wrote off our car. Luckily, as we had the kids in the back, I was the only one injured.

Hucky
:)

hello group
 

truth to tell, I don't have a clue what did what where and when, my back is just a wreck! I fell skating at a skating rink with my kids and some little 5 or 6 year yr. old caame up behind me and hit my skates, knocked my feet right out from under me. I was 33 or 34. I broke my scacram ((sp?)), that is when Dr. discovered the other horror.

I knew my back was a mess, but in '96 I fell yes, skating, like a dern fool!! fell again had to crawl off that floor. Everything went from bad to worse and everything gets worse with age. Trust me, it does too.!! I threw my skates clear to timbuktu! I had always been a good skater, HA!!

Nothing the Dr. can do, just pain managment. I'm 64 this week, I can hardly walk around. Use a cane & walker now and again, O Happy Day, old age are the golden years, I think I could give up a few golden years and enjoy a few just plain old good days thingy before I die:p

Jojo :)

Hello All,
I was rear ended 5 years ago and here I am.........but I suspect lugging around more then 100 lbs for 12 -13 years did not help matters!

My problems are hereditary: my father has degenerating disc disease and
so do I. I also have lumbar spinal stenosis, which may or may not be
hereditary-I'm not sure. So, I've been on SSDI since '98 and it's not
much money. I can't even afford Medicare Part B, much less a place
of my own.:(

where do I start?
 

I was born with a C-5-7 fusion but that fusion put stress on my neck, so then I had to have a huge cervical fusion from the occiput.
I was very active and did a lot of stupid things.
It started with softball, then a sking accident, then three car accidents and finally I fell down my stairs to really mess up my neck. I'm just lucky to be alive.

Laura

I've always been asked this question, my others and doctors, as for me I just got very unfortunate, young and dealing with cervical and lower back issues already, two fusions and probably more to come in the future.

DaisyMae

Hi and my journey
 

I just found this place. So, hello everyone. I see alot of faces/names from the old BT boards too.
Let's see, we had a motorcycle accident when I was 14 weeks pregnant ( and my first weekend off of 14 weeks of bedrest.:o ) That was the beginning of my journey, what a journey it's been too.....
Sandi

Fell down the stairs
 

I was carrying the laundry down stairs and fell down to the bottom.

I never did any one thing to injure myself. My disk apparently spontaneously herniated. I had a lumbar micro-d, and then a few years later, it hernitated again. I can pinpoint the exact time symptoms started again...I went to bed one night, and woke up in the middle of the night with dreadful sciatica. I also have scoliosis, but not bad enough to require surgery. I've got permanent nerve damage, and a numb foot. I can't really attribute this to bad genes, because no one else in my family has back problems. I guess I'm just unlucky that way.

plenty of minor injuries over the years surfing and snowboarding, but the first major one that I'm pretty sure set things in motion was landing on the back of my head from a couple of metres up in the air after doing a jump on a snowboard. Didn't have to have surgery, and didn't have it MRI'd (not sure they existed back then) but always had aggravating neck pain since that injury.

Second one was surfing, driven headfirst into a sandbank, was paralysed from the neck down for a while underwater and thought I was probably going to drown but the movement came back in my legs first then in my arms. That was the first time I experienced very painful dermatome pain in the hands.

I think the knock from the snowboarding fall was actually a worse one than the surfing fall, but the surfing one must have been a more direct impact, and I suspect the disc was already out because I'd had neck pain for ages beforehand and always wondered if I was at more risk of injury as a result, and it seems that I was.

Well mine started as a teen I had appendix that burst on the table and that started my lumbar problems I got osteomyalitis from it I had surgery but still have a lot of pain,
my thorasic don't really know what caused that they say it is just degeneration,
my cervical well we think that was caused through a car accident l had 12 months ago,
so that is my story.

Printing did it
 

Hi Guys and Gals!!
Not a long story really.. I have been a printer for more than 26 years... heavy work, with much heavy lifting done with arms outstretched at or above shoulder level. Also...turning large printing machines with a manual hand wheel is very difficult when there is ink on the rollers. Granted, these are small sheet-fed offset presses...but don't let that fool you. On a day like I had last Thursday, I put 2 tons of paper through 1 press 3 times... then had to cut and box it for delivery... this only 5 weeks after having ACDF on C5/6, 6/7. I am feeling good, and no more pain... There really are success stories out there. If you want more info on my success, PM me or catch me on e-mail at hansmathias8@hotmail.com

Be Well!!
Hope everyone does good with their individual issues. I just feel now that I should show up here every now and then and give a ray of hope... I won't leave you all after all you have done for me. I will be around even when my healing is complete. I will never forget the pain I had, or the thoughts and prayers you all sent my way. I had a great success! I pray you all do too. Thanks a bunch for sticking with me and helping me through this most difficult time.

Be Good!
Dave :grouphug:

Printerhead, I am sold glad you came through with flying colors, really!!! I am a walking poster child for failed fusions. 19 months later and we are still waiting for it to fuse.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3.../sidespine.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...e3611abred.jpg

How I hurt myself. I was riding as a passanger in the back of a golf cart when the driver accelerated rapidly and then slammed on the brakes. Threw me up and forward into the golf carts roof. Ruptured C5-6 & C6-7.

A seven car auto accident

I dont think my symptoms are directly from injury but I was knocked down by a car when I was 12, but I was a competitive swimmer and put a lot down to that. Over training, weight lifting etc. But I'm more inclined to think my problems sciatica, degenerative back problems, arthritis in my back, knees, and shoulder and torticolis are more inherited from my dad :( I first started having problems with my knees at the age of 13/14 and I am 38 now, so i have suffered one way or another for more than half my life.

Was apparently born with very narrow spinal canal. Surgeons kept asking me if I had an accident, but other than a gymnastic mishap of falling on my head when I was 16, can't think of anything. I was frightened into having ACDF surgery three years ago at age 44. I didn't really have pain, just numbness and an odd sense of self. I know: sounds weird. I have to say, the surgery was not bad for me -- but it took a long while before I felt "normal".

Hi
 

I come from along line of nurses. So after 25 years of nursing i would
think. Now you would think my 2 niece's would change there choice of jobs
Also was in a head on collision.in 1996,everything decided to wait awhile,and
is visiting now...Sue Much luck and blessings to everyone.