2 Torn Disc in Lower Back and Rides?

[jjpope1]

Ok, so I have 2 Torn Disc, L4 & L5. We went to Disney March 2010, and I didnt ride many rides due to fear of hurting my back. I did ride Splash Mtn and did ok, didnt see any after effects of it. I rode small rides with my son, but wanted to know what your thoughts are about riding some bigger rides when we plan to go back? I would love love love to get back on the Tower of Terror, and a couple of bigger rides, or should i play it safe and stay off of it.
Thanks!!!

 

[Clover_Girl]

My thought would be to call your doctor. I've had serious Lumbar disc issues (to the point where I lost feeling permanently in part of my right leg), and it's amazing what a little jolt can do. I had a disc finally blow simply standing up wrong.

I have further disc issues in my neck, and bone spurs and fragments, but after I had two of the vertebrae fused, I thought I was safe to ride all the fun stuff I never got to ride as a kid.

Even though other people on the web said yeah, they'd ridden the Big Rides after Cervical fusion, my neurosurgeon said absolutely not. My particular case prevents it. So I wouldn't trust the "ok" from someone on the net. Every case is slightly different, and it's definitely not worth being paralyzed, or even being hauled off a ride with your back in spasms because you can't walk off due to a disk finally rupturing into a nerve root. (And having your trip cut short by the agony.)

ETA: P.S. My disc ruptures were L5,S1 and cord compression/bone fragments/disc bulges atC2-C5

 

[jjpope1]

thanks for your input!! hope you get to feeling better!!! it just sucks that you want to go and do and you cant! and i am only 32 thats the real sad part!! have a great day!

 

[KPeveler]

I've got the beginnings of arthritis in my SI joints and a dead/messed up nerve at L5-S1 and a bulging disc at C5, as well as overall pain and instability...

One thing you may want to be careful of is Haunted Mansion and Spaceship Earth - they turn you around and you go back down on your back, which can be painful. There is no support and it is very hard. Weird, eh? I do just fine with Space Mountain and California Screamin, but Haunted Mansion requires me to put a sweatshirt behind my head!

Also, be very aware of things which whip you around. I rode Primeval Whirl ONCE before I even had real problems or was diagnosed with anything and NEVER AGAIN! Toy Story Mania, Big Thunder Mountain, Mission Space, Test Track, etc all have strong side-to-side forces.

I am a sensory seeker, so I am really not supposed to ride any of these things but I do anyway.

Just know that if you ever need to lay down, you can always go to the First Aid Center. I dislocated my SI joint once (strangely, not from a ride but from someone running into me) and I was able to just go in and lay down.

Also, those Thermacare back wraps are WONDERFUL! They keep everything relaxed for me.

Of course, I would never suggest riding something your doctor says you shouldn't.

 

[WheeledTraveler]

I just want to agree with KPeveler that Haunted Mansion and Spaceship Earth are surprisingly rough on backs. I also just found Spaceship Earth to be jerky.

I've got similar physical problems to KPeveler and a similar, but not the same ride profile. I can't do Space Mountain, but I love Rock'n'Rollercoaster (RnR has seats that come up far enough to give me head and neck support, Space Mountain doesn't). I'm also a sensory seeker and I have to admit that one of my favourite rides when I was at WDW in October was Mission Space (the orange side), but TestTrack was almost too much for me (which was not great as the friends I was with loved it and we ended up riding I think 4 times in one day).

I'd ask your doctor and if there are specific rides you're interested in it might be better to bring him a description of the ride and how it feels/moves rather than a list of what has warnings. If there are things that you're interested in that you've never ridden, ask and I'm sure someone can give you a description.