NSW
68 posts
3 months ago i totally stuffed my back(compressed 3 vertebrae) in an accident.
I cant see when ill go kiting again if at all. Anyone got a simular story where they made a come back from disaster...come on...give me some hope
cheers
NSW
4382 posts
First you need to let it heal, that may take up to 12 month or longer, keep up the swimming, stretching, and any exercise you enjoy even if it is just walking or riding a bike.
Get a power kite when you feel up to it, something around 2 - 4m depending on your weight and the winds in your area (let me know I will advise).
Fly that kite as much as possible in light to moderate winds, no jumping on land at all.
Then when it feels ok and your doc gives it the thumbs up get back on the water and take it easy for a while till you get your wings again.
I've sustained similar injuries, and others here have too, and have no real trouble kiting. I just take it easy, don't do much in the way of spins and stuff, just because it feels wrong and painful, no problem kiting for a few hours and jumping, transitions, etc.
Cya and
Goodwinds
steve
WA
314 posts
My Wife prolapsed a disc and was back on the water in a year.
After having the disc removed, she did all the physio recomended and then some and tried to get good core strength back.
Hopefully you will be all good in about a year. But give it the time to heal properly so you feel strong again.
Good luck
WA
13 posts
I herniated a disc in my neck (C3/C4) - didn't know when i did it and it took up to 8 months before the effects were noticeable. My legs started to feel very weak and soon after I could barely walk. The disc had slowly pushed into my spinal cord and was stopping nerve impulses to my lower body. Had the disc removed and replaced with a prosthetic one in April 2007 but the damage to the spinal cord is taking a long time to heal - I can walk OK now but running is out at the moment. I started Kitesurfing in November 07 and as of December 07 can now Windsurf again.
Any kind of nerve damage can take a long time to heal but I'm getting better all the time.
Kitepower has the right idea - just keep up the physio and don't rush anything - you'll be back on the water.
QLD
139 posts
hey surfsky,
bad luck mate. but not to worry, time heals. i fractured my L5 few years back, hurt at the time but healed quick and never slowed me down. now days you would never know there was a problem.
take it easy in the meantime and listen to kitepower, good advice.
cheers
VIC
5127 posts
Just ask your orthopoedic surgeon what to do and maybe talk to a sports medicine practitioner. The orthopod should be able to refer you to a good sports medicine person (or vice versa).
I've got a stable crush fracture at T3. I barely notice it. Bit of swimming. Bit of walking. Some cycling when things got better. Worked up to body surfing then surfing.
NSW
118 posts
I just had two disks replaced in my neck with the Bryan Artificial Disk, C4/5 and C5/6. I had early symptoms the disk was on it's way out after only 1 month of kiting.The C5/6 ruptured 4 months after starting to kite. I woke up one morning with intense pain down my left arm as the disk was crushing the nerve. I was in hospital for a week on morphine due to the pain. I was off the water for about 3 weeks with it. I was given the option of Fusing, Artificial Disk Replacement (ADR) or do nothing. ADR was only classed as experimental when I first did back in 2004 , so I gave it a miss. If I fussed the vertebrae I couldn't have ADR later and it would have put extra stress on the damaged C4/5 disk. I elected to do nothing and see what happened.
The disk settled down for about a year, then I started to get arm pain and cramping after kiting or doing lessons. The pain was getting to much so I went and seen what my options were again last year. I was advised the ADR was the best option now as the disk above was on it's way out as well. I had the operation mid January this year and I'm back at work after three weeks off. Hopefully I will be back on the water in two weeks if the orthopaedic surgeon gives me the go ahead.
I believe the disk was put under extra stress during the first few months learning to kite as I bending my head back looking up at the kite. There was also other life style factors involved, my age, playing rugby, racing motocross and I used to smoke. I'm just wondering if anyone else has had similar problems or injuries, or had ADR surgery and are back kiting.
NSW
68 posts
thanks everyone...i can now see a light at the end of the tunnel....
WA
478 posts
Last november I had an Acute Subdural Hematoma on my Occipital lobe (Big ass blood clot on my brain) from a nasty freebording crash.
Im already back into kite-ing and freebording again, Human bodies take time to recover, we aren't wolverine but damn you're better off than you're olds were.
