Feedback from people with back issues

[David Gardner]

First off, I realize this is an unanswerable question, in that it's a question my wife and I need to answer, but I'd like to get opinions, especially those from people with back issues.

I'm planning my third trip to Disney with my wife. I proposed to her on the deck at California Grill after the fireworks, and it's always been a special place to me. My wife has back issues, serious enough that she's on permanent disability. She can stand, walk and sit just fine, although as I mentioned in another thread I do wheel her around in a wheelchair because a lot of standing or walking, or even sitting in an uncomfortable seat, brings wqith it serious pain.

My question concerns the rides that she might be able to experience. We both realize that things like Space Mountain and BTMRR are out of the question for her. It's difficult for me to gauge some of what I've always thought of as the tamer rides though. Splash Mountain, for instance, is, to me, a kiddie ride, albeit a fun and entertaining one. The only thing I think might be a threat to her is the final drop, but even that I think of a being pretty gentle. Similarly, I recall the ride mechanism for Frozen (when it was Maelstrom) as being pretty gentle.

Thoughts?

 

[BrianL]

I have back issues myself, though they are relatively minor and I ride everything (even though I shouldn't). It does depend on how sensitive your wife is to sudden jolts. Splash is pretty smooth though the final drop can be a little rough. The drops on Frozen and Pirates are much, much smaller and in my opinion very smooth. I wouldn't expect issues there. I would watch out for Test Track as it jerks around a lot. Mission:SPACE green might be okay, but it shakes and vibrates quite a bit. Also, the tracks on the Safari can shake quite a lot. Flight of Passage does move around a lot, but it is pretty smooth. The way you sit on it is weird though, so that could be a concern. Those are the ones I can think of that might not be obvious.

 

[hiroMYhero]

Definitely don’t take her on Dinosaur.

The problem with Splash is if the logs get backed up, your log will be jolted every time another log joins in the backlog. That’s the same for every boat ride.

 

[SarahC97]

I had surgery for a herniated disc two years ago, I've been to Disney three times since. I have found that Space Mountain, BTMRR, Primeval Whirl, Dinosaur, Test Track, Mission Space, Expedition Everest, and Seven Dwarves Mine Train to be the only rides that have given me problems with pain. It's been a bit of a learning curve for me to find out what I can and cannot do, but I think in general they make most attractions at Disney ones that almost anyone can enjoy. All the walking is what kills me more than anything. I hope you and your wife have a lovely trip!

 

[David Gardner]

Good info. I hadn't thought about the "logjam" on Splash, and that definitely could be an issue.

I know that the Mine Train is out of the question as well. Sudden side to side jolts are the worst for her. Test Track is out; the braking swerve maneuver is the killer. We've done Mission Space green previously and she loved it.

This particular trip, BTW, is being used to test the idea of renting DVC points, so we're only going to be in the parks for 2 days (MK and EP). The plan is to spend some good time in the pool (which helps her back), and, as always, go back to California Grill.

 

[wgeo]

Something to think about is the "jolt" at the end. For example, I find EE to be a very smooth roller coaster, but when it is starting and stopping at the end as you roll into the station to disembark it seems quite rough to me. Same thing happens on BTMRR where there is an "oogh" moment when the train jolts you as its moving forward. Otherwise - yes, Test Track for sure no, Dinosaur is bad, I don't have issues on things like pirates - even with the boats bumping because I can tell it's about to happen and kind of prepare for it if that makes sense.

 

[GusGusTheMouse]

First, I ditto the logjam issue on any boat ride. I have been experiencing severe back issues for the last few years, but have still gone to WDW twice since the issue initially started. The most surprising was the boat issue, and I will say, that the most pain I felt was actually on It's a Small World, because that ride is backed up for a good while towards the end, and the constant boat bumping finally got to me.

I know you mentioned you are only going to MK and EP, but for future reference, another one where the pain came out of nowhere was FOP, the angle of the seats and how they strap you in really put my back in a strange position and I was in quite a bit of pain for the rest of the evening!

I wish you both luck. Disney with a bad back is never easy, but I found ways to manage so I am sure you will too!

 

[afan]

My problem always comes with how tight I can be held down in my seat. The worst is when I ride with someone bigger than me so the lap bar comes down to meet their legs but not all the way down to mine. I've had to figure out how to hold on and brace my legs to help keep me in my seat because coming out and slamming back down can cause my neck to have issues as the jolt goes all the way up my spine. I've also done it of my own fault of space mountain because I didn't get the lap bar down tight enough because of my bag. I was in the back and this one put an end to my rides for the day because of the headache and stiff neck I ended up with. This did teach me to stay out of the back cars if possible. I'll ask to wait so I don't have to ride in the back, I prefer the middle on most rides anyway.

 

[Tomh]

First off, I realize this is an unanswerable question, in that it's a question my wife and I need to answer, but I'd like to get opinions, especially those from people with back issues.

I'm planning my third trip to Disney with my wife. I proposed to her on the deck at California Grill after the fireworks, and it's always been a special place to me. My wife has back issues, serious enough that she's on permanent disability. She can stand, walk and sit just fine, although as I mentioned in another thread I do wheel her around in a wheelchair because a lot of standing or walking, or even sitting in an uncomfortable seat, brings wqith it serious pain.

My question concerns the rides that she might be able to experience. We both realize that things like Space Mountain and BTMRR are out of the question for her. It's difficult for me to gauge some of what I've always thought of as the tamer rides though. Splash Mountain, for instance, is, to me, a kiddie ride, albeit a fun and entertaining one. The only thing I think might be a threat to her is the final drop, but even that I think of a being pretty gentle. Similarly, I recall the ride mechanism for Frozen (when it was Maelstrom) as being pretty gentle.

Thoughts?

This depends SO much on what triggers her pain. It also depends on just what she is feeling like on a particular day, if her back is already bothering her, and sometimes just dumb luck.

In either 2008, or 2009, I had a Safari ride that was absolute hell. My back was killing me for the entire ride. Every bump we went over was a nightmare. I was trying to brace myself against the seat back by pushing against the seat in front of us to minimize the bouncing around. It helped some, but when the ride was over, I wasn't sure if I was even going to be able to get up and get off the ride. I have ridden the safari many times since then, and it has never bothered me a bit. I occasionally have some discomfort on BTMRR, but nothing horrible, and it always seems to go away shortly after I get off the ride and start walking. Splash doesn't bother my back, though it does scare the Pooh out of me. 7DMine Train is fine. Indy Speedway can be a bit rough if the driver bounces side to side on the rail too much. I have had some pain at times on TSMM, when the car spins, and then stops. I sometimes get a bit of a twinge on Frozen Ever After. I happens after the boat goes backwards, then stops, and the track pivots it to the right. Sometimes that sideways movement is a bit rough, and gives me a tweak to the side that causes a bit of pain. In general, anything that makes any kind of sudden / jarring movement side to side / rotationally can be problematic for me.

 

[kaytieeldr]

disABILITIES FAQs - temporary & permanent disabled, 1st trip, next trip, Wish trip

 

[Jennasis]

I've had two back surgeries and I am very cautious about what I ride. That said, I ride everything but if hardening back to me pre-op trips and my post-op trips, there were things that would have ruined me that I had to grapple with.

Be careful on Pirates and Frozen. The relatively small drop was hard on me when it hit the bottom of the ramp. I think it's the sudden deceleration that causes issues. Actually bruised by tailbone once.

Be mindful on the people mover. If the cars bump each other it could be bad for back issues.

If doing Buzz, let her control the spinning so she can brace herself to anticipate he direction of the motion.

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

BIL has horrible back issues. Space Mountain did him in.

 

[loves to dive]

My son has permanent nerve damage in his spinal cord, it is actually more comfortable for him to walk and stand then to sit but anything that jerks causes his back to spasm and seize up. He can ride BTMRR as long as he braces himself with his arms, especially in the beginning and the end. The same with SDMT. He can ride EE one time a trip, again has to brace himself with his arms (thankfully he can do push ups and does those every morning for some exercise and has a pretty strong upper body). He can not ride Space Mountain or RnRC. He rode Dinosaur last month and didn't seem to have too much problems with it. He rarely rides TT, especially if he has already ridden a roller coaster that day. Frozen is o.k., again he has to brace himself. He can and does ride ToT over and over and over again (it's our favorite ride). Basically, he only rides one roller coaster per day and tries to get that done in the morning when he is still fresh. He also has problems with the truck on Safari at AK but again braces himself and tries to sit against the outside wall so he can sort of brace up against that and not rock around too much.

 

[David Gardner]

I wish you both luck. Disney with a bad back is never easy, but I found ways to manage so I am sure you will too!

It's not easy, but the past too trips have given me a new appreciation for some of the other things they do well which aren't, in my mind, thrill rides. The wife loved Soarin', for instance. She was almost crying when we came off of it, in part I think because she haqd pre-decided that there was nothing we were going to be able to ride but possibly the kiddie rides. I'm paying more attention to the stage shows now, and, of course, some of the food is awesome.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I’m sure you’ve already thought of this, but don’t forget all of the second-tier attractions that have no movement but are thoroughly Disney. Tiki Room, Country Bears, Hall of the Pres, Carousel of Progress, Philharmagic, just to name a few in MK.

 

[3DisneyBuggs]

I have back issues too and am trying to figure if I can do 7DMT. I know Test track is out due to the jerking and the low seat too. I wont do the bumpy safari. All other coasters are a no for me but I am also thinking about going on Kali. I dont remember getting jolted on it. I'm glad my kids will have fun but I will really miss a couple of rides.

 

[BrianL]

I have back issues too and am trying to figure if I can do 7DMT. I know Test track is out due to the jerking and the low seat too. I wont do the bumpy safari. All other coasters are a no for me but I am also thinking about going on Kali. I dont remember getting jolted on it. I'm glad my kids will have fun but I will really miss a couple of rides.

7DMT is really very smooth as far as coasters go and it's not very fast. One thing though is that at the end they do put on the brakes a tad hard (not as hard as they do on Expedition Everest), so just be prepared for that. I have a herniated disc, but 7DMT doesn't worry me at all. Of course, I am not advising you to do anything that could exacerbate your injury, but only sharing my experience. I still ride everything.

 

[KMW924]

We have 1 member of our party with a bad back. I am sure they will not ride alot of the rides we are going on. Can they wait on line and then get out at the end instead of getting on the ride.

 

[disneyAndi14]

Frozen is really jerky so I would be careful on that one.

 

[David Gardner]

My son has permanent nerve damage in his spinal cord, it is actually more comfortable for him to walk and stand then to sit but anything that jerks causes his back to spasm and seize up.

This sounds exactly like my wife. She had a back injury several years ago which results in nerve damage, and when her back seizes, she's out of commission for a day or two at least.