i ruptured a disc at L5,S1 at work back in aug of 04 i have followed all doctors and wc instructions to the best of my knoledge but somthing the doctor said caused me concern he told me that i will make a full and complete recovery from tthis injury and from wat i have read and seen nobody is 100% after a spinal injury.i had a open las des on jan 6 and i am much better but i just dont think i will ever preform as well as i did before i am a desil mech and must do alot of heavy lifting and bending and stooping,i am very ready to go to work but doc will not release me.but i just wonder will i be able to do all i did before,i figure the wc,ic will wanna close my case and settle but i think i should keep medical on my back for future problems.should i expect problems with my back in the future from this injury??
i to am on wc. i had a left and right side laminectomy with a micro d. i was told i would make a full recovery but that i would not be doing any heavy lifting again. iwas told by my dr that i should find a new job. wc will not give you a settlement and keep medical on your back. one or the other. i would think about getting a lawyer to help you out. good luck. steve
I hate to say it, but with what you are saying you do, I would not suggest going back, and if you do my personal opinion is that you will reinjure yourself either in the same disc or another one, two or more, even other problems. It is too bad it takes an injury and surgery to lean to take care of our bodies. I didn't do so after my first surgery and now I am paying for it.
Consider my story:
I was 22 when I first injured my back, two years later it was diagnosed and I had a micro d at L5-S1, and at the same time, I had DDD at L4-5. I went back to my job of nursing asst and lifted people again-this time around, not only did I have a bulge in the same disc I had surgery, but the one above it too. Both had DDD, one had a tear and there was a spur. This time around I had a two level fusion. I am now 27.
I wish you the best.
I think it depends upon the complete definition of recovery. I feel 100% recovered from my surgery, but because I am now fused, will never be 100% brand new. Make sense?
You can recover from surgery 100%... feel good, go one and lead a normal life, not have back issues compromise your quality of life any longer, but not be at a level of 100%.
This is how I see it.
But I agree...if you go back to the same activities you did prior to your back surgery, you'll be guaranteed more back surgery in the future. Our habits/jobs/ways of life are what got us here in the first place.
Tracer, a back is like a rubber band, there wil always be a weak spot in it if you hurt it, but that doesn't stop you from a normal life. I have read that 80% of the population will experience a back injury in their lives, most heal and go on. Some don't.
I know of a lot of people who have had fusion, two level, and have gone back to a normal life, same with knees, hips, arms, wrists, etc.
You just need to build up your core and let your core muscles carry you instead of your back. Back usually become injured because of weak core muscles. It is like a wake up call to work out and to learn new ways of moving.
I have arthritis in L3/L4. I now move completely differently than I ever did before. I had to learn the correct way to move.
recovery question??? 
Re: recovery question??? 
