Doing rides with herniated disc

[3DisneyBuggs]

I have a herniated L5 with the lovely sciatica. As long as I dont bend or lift anything heavy the pain is not bad. I also tore my meniscus in June and went to WDW in July. My knee was hurting badly so I used an ecv for the parks and avoided any ride with a thrill factor, even Frozen and Pirates. I did TSM twice and was fine. Im going in Oct with my DD and am thinking to go on 7DMt,Kali and A,SS. I would love to try SDD but am worried about the dips. Anyone with back trouble do these rides?Im renting an ecv too so at least Ill get a break walking. My knee is a little better too.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I have a herniated L5 with the lovely sciatica. As long as I dont bend or lift anything heavy the pain is not bad. I also tore my meniscus in June and went to WDW in July. My knee was hurting badly so I used an ecv for the parks and avoided any ride with a thrill factor, even Frozen and Pirates. I did TSM twice and was fine. Im going in Oct with my DD and am thinking to go on 7DMt,Kali and A,SS. I would love to try SDD but am worried about the dips. Anyone with back trouble do these rides?Im renting an ecv too so at least Ill get a break walking. My knee is a little better too.

I wouldn't, if it were me.

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

I have herniated discs at L4, L5, & S1 and ride every ride at Disney. I do have an unusually high pain tolerance.

 

[aprilgail]

I ride but pay the price for it the next day!

 

[jdb in AZ]

The rides you need to worry about are the ones that have signs at the entrance, advising against riding them if you have back problems. If my rememberer is working correctly, I don't think the 7 Dwarfs mine train was a big deal. Kind of a let-down after waiting in line for so long (even with an ECV), actually.

 

[Jennasis]

I've had two discectomies for my herniated L5-S1...when my disc was herniated I would not have been able to even walk around Disney, much less go on ANY rides. The things that actually aggravated it the most when it was just a bulging disc were things like Pirates/Frozen (at the time Maelstrom) or Splash Mountain with drops that had sudden stops/slow downs at the bottom of the drop hill. Any sudden jerky movments were out too so no Grand Prix Raceway or ANY coasters.

AFTER my surgery and the requisite recovery and PT I ride everything and anything.

Don't be a hero. Any ride with a back warning should be a no-go.

 

[LJSquishy]

Yikes...are you able to comfortably sit down? I am suffering with that right now (going on 3 months with zero improvement and just had an MRI but awaiting results) and I can't even sit in a chair or car without extreme pain. I'd imagine any rides with jerky movements, drops, or tight confined rides would be difficult for you pain wise. I guess it might be case by case...maybe you would be fine on most rides whereas I wouldn't be able to do anything since I can't sit.

 

[Klayfish]

Any answer you get here is completely meaningless to you. It's a 100% individual thing. The severity of herniation, the level of nerve impingement, your physical stature, your pain tolerance, mental attitude toward it, other medical history, etc...will be the deciding factors, and they're unique to you. Consult with your doctor, then decide what you want to do. I have herniated discs, and other joint issues and ride anything and everything, but it doesn't have any bearing on whether you should or not.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I agree with Klayfish, each case is unique and what works for one person may not work for another. That said, I think there's little way around the risk of potentially aggravating or worsening it, if that's what you're asking. YMMV. And it might not even be from the ride itself, but something as seemingly simple as getting into and out of the ride. Once you herniate one disc, more can become involved. Have you had an epidural steroid shot to lessen the inflammation and pain or looked into a minimally invasive discectomy? (Or knee surgery?)

I remember a trip once where DH had just had a steroid shot. (L3 and 4, and later L5.) I think it was his first shot. He was in so much pain he was walking slow and hunched over, and sat on a lot of benches that trip. It was awful. He had many shots after that, then finally had the discectomy done, which was a relatively simple procedure, actually, and he's been pain free and able to go on all rides since then. He wished he'd done the surgery a lot sooner, in retrospect. People hear "back surgery" and they want no part of it. But with this they just make a small incision in your back and go in with camera'd scissors and trim away the part of the bulging, hardened disc that's pressing on the nerve root that's causing the pain. DH walked out of the hospital the day of surgery by 11am that morning with most of his pain gone, and the rest went away within a few weeks. People with this type of pain should look into it - just make sure you go to a very reputable hospital and doctor with lots of experience doing this procedure. (The doctor who did DH's surgery was recommended by the doctor who did his shots, who he'd sent his own mother to, and also did procedures for professional sports teams in our area.) Good luck.

 

[Klayfish]

I agree with Klayfish, each case is unique and what works for one person may not work for another. That said, I think there's little way around the risk of potentially aggravating or worsening it, if that's what you're asking. YMMV. And it might not even be from the ride itself, but something as seemingly simple as getting into and out of the ride.

Great point. For me, getting in and out of SM is more troublesome than the ride itself. I'm just not as limber as I once was.

 

[BrianL]

I have a herniated L5 with the lovely sciatica. As long as I dont bend or lift anything heavy the pain is not bad. I also tore my meniscus in June and went to WDW in July. My knee was hurting badly so I used an ecv for the parks and avoided any ride with a thrill factor, even Frozen and Pirates. I did TSM twice and was fine. Im going in Oct with my DD and am thinking to go on 7DMt,Kali and A,SS. I would love to try SDD but am worried about the dips. Anyone with back trouble do these rides?Im renting an ecv too so at least Ill get a break walking. My knee is a little better too.

I am in the same boat you are. Herniated disc with some sciatic pain (well really numbness the pain is quite infrequent). I have had this for over 15 years not and never had the surgery. It seems mine is minor enough not to be too concerned. I probably shouldn't ride the thrill rides, but I do, and I have, frequently. I have not had it negatively impact the condition, though sometimes there is a little short-term pain. What I recommend is that you do the exercises for PT and keep your back an core muscles strong. The stronger they are the easier it will be. Also, take some Ibuprofin or other anti-inflamatory, even preemptively.

Most rides at Disney barely bother me. I usually limit myself on RNRC to one ride, and Mission: SPACE I stick to Green side usually (though since they changed it I don't like Green as much). I can do Orange, but that is the one where my back is asking me, "What are you doing?" afterward.

I wish you the best!

 

[wdwfan51]

As others have said each case is different but I wouldn’t take the risks. All the shaking and roughness of the rides and G Forces some of them have can change that disk from a herniated disc to ruptured disc quite easily. That is a game changer for the amount of pain and discomfort you will be in.

 

[3DisneyBuggs]

While I am looking for other’s experiences, I know everyone is different. I have been offered a microdidcectony but am trying to hold off for now. There is no guarantee surgery will be successful so I live life cautiously. Sometimes the roads by me have so many potholes and bumps I think TT would be smoother. Im sure I can handke 7DMT and TSM was fine too. The other coasters I will avoid as well as TT Safari Dinosaur, Splash Kali. Im going to watch a video of the Frozen EA to see how much jostling is involved.
Thanks!

 

[low-key]

If it starts to hurt just rub some dirt on it

 

[mousefan73]

We just got back and I hope I’m not mistaking but in my opinion the SDD ride was a lot smoother than SDMT though the ride itself is “more intense“. Which really isn’t intense if you compare to other thrill rides. It does have that hilly part that goes up and down which could be an issue but the drop itself is actually pretty smooth

I think a lot has asked to do with the seating. In my opinion SDMT is simply a painful seat \ ride for any adult that’s a bit larger. And I’m not even obese.

Stay away though from space Mountain I have a strong and good back but that thing can really mess people up

 

[Simba's Mom]

I don't know how you feel about riding KS, but if you do, be sure you sit in the front row. What a difference a seat makes! I have herniated discs and sciatica, made the mistake of not mentioning it and sitting in the back row once. Went over a bump that brought tears to my eyes and pain for the rest of the day. The front row has never bothered my back, however.

 

[Jennasis]

The side to side swinging of 7DMT actually bothers me and I have to brace for it very carefully.

 

[hubertjfarnsworth]

Space Mountain killed my back during my last trip, and I have zero back problems otherwise.