What rides are ok for people with back problems?

[hannahmr91]

I will be going to Disney with my family and my best friend in a couple weeks. My mom happens to be afraid of a lot of rides, but she says she's going to try to be more adventurous this time However, she does have back problems. I've been looking at all the rides and finding some that I think look tame enough for her to not be scared, but I want to make sure they're not too jerky either so they won't hurt her back.

The ones I'm specifically wondering about are Test Track, Big Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, Primeval Whirl, and Dinosaur. I know Dinosaur isn't a roller coaster but I heard it still jerks you around a lot, is that true? I know Test Track goes really fast at the end, but just wondering how smooth that bit is. And of course, BTM, SM, and PW are all pretty tame roller coasters so I think my mom may be able to do those, but again, are they jerky? I've heard some things about Space and Primeval Whirl being rough.

And also the motion simulator rides. Soarin' looks like it's pretty gentle, but I'm wondering about Star Tours and Mission Space (the green side obviously).

 

[Dan Murphy]

All of those rides may harm a person with back problems. Depends on the person and the problem.

Here is a useful list.

http://allears.net/tp/rr.htm

 

[elaw]

... The ones I'm specifically wondering about are Test Track, Big Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, Primeval Whirl, and Dinosaur. I know Dinosaur isn't a roller coaster but I heard it still jerks you around a lot, is that true? I know Test Track goes really fast at the end, but just wondering how smooth that bit is. .... Soarin' looks like it's pretty gentle, but I'm wondering about Star Tours and Mission Space (the green side obviously).

Just got back from our WDW trip a couple of days ago ... and I also have back issues. Dinosaur was the roughest, followed by Space Mountain, Primeval Whirl and Big Thunder Mountain. Star Tours and Mission Space (non Spinning - green group i think) weren't bad at all. We missed out on Test Track this time due to weather but i would put it last as far as roughness (from the first group). I would highly recommend skipping Dinosaur for someone with back problems. SM has a couple of back wrenching moments but is more tolerable and PW can really turn/spin hard. BTRR gets you on the lift hill(s) chain(s) with a nice solid jerk.

 

[JennyDrake]

DanMurphy gave good advice and a link. As a person w/ back issues it depends upon What the back issue is, where on the spine it is and what can aggravate it. Most important is to evaluate what harm can be done-- an achy back? Muscle spasms? Nerve damage??

She may want to discuss this with her doctor....

In any event, Dinosaur and BTMRR are bother very jerky and rough as are Space & Primeval Whirl (though to a lesser extent.)

 

[Kristina4109]

On this week's podcast, Corey referred to Dinosaur as "Dine-o-sore-back" and I couldn't agree with him more! It's very jerky and I can see that being a problem for someone who has back pain.

 

[rapunzels]

Depends on what you consider a back problem. My mom who is on disability because of back problems would not ride any of those rides. In my book, if you have back problems, any ride that warns be free of back issues, don't ride.

 

[agavegirl1]

Many of the warnings for these rides have a generic "back problems" listed. A specific problem may not be affected by some rides. I would suggest your mom ask her doctor what types of movement should be avoided. Some movements may affect the upper back/neck area and others be more inclined to impact the lower back. Also, strengthening core muscles and engaging your abdominal muscles can mitigate any damaging effect of the motion of the ride.

 

[Luvchefmic]

Perfect example of how individual a " back problem " can be I can no longer do ANY of the rides you mentioned except Soarin' My list of good to go rides are still Splash Mtn HM POTC TOT RNRC ( yes I can do that one ) Safari in AK that's about it Some of those may even have warnings, it's so different for everyone

 

[Raenstoirm]

Pretty much no for all of the ones you mentioned. But as everyone else said it is all a matter of degrees. TT for example is pretty smooth except for the part where the test the skid control and the suspension (at least that is what the used to call those sections..we are not fans of the new tt and rarely ride it). The suspension part is bouncy and the skid control in one word, ouch! I don't have any pain problems but the skid always hurts me.

 

[Scrappygrrl]

I can;t imagine anyone with back problems doing Space Mountain without it aggravating their condition. I don;t have back problems and I was hurting when I got off SM. Because it is in the dark, you can't brace yourself for the change in forces.

 

[seshat0120]

I'm facing this dilemna as well but not because of a back problem. I was diagnosed with a dissected vertebral artery at about the C-5 level seven years ago that caused a stroke. I have to be careful that my neck doesn't get jerked too sharply. I was going to call my doctor ask him for some guidelines. I did ride Big Thunder Mountain last year when I went to MVMCP with my family and didn't have any problems. To be honest, I didn't know what Big Thunder Mountain was at the time...my cousin told me it just a railroad ride. Yeah...the words "big" and "thunder" should have given me a clue.

 

[tndisneyfan]

DH and I have both had back surgery, I've had better results though. I would definitely recommend staying away from Space Mountain. I consider myself "cured" of back issues, but when I got off that ride my back felt odd for a couple of days. DH will not get on it at all. Because it's in the dark, you can't tell which way you are going to go so you can't brace or prepare for the movement. We rode Dinosaur last year and both of us walked away saying we wouldn't do it again. It's very, very jerky. The other rides we ride without problems.

 

[sassie_kat]

I have back problems (compressed, bulging discs in the lower part of my back). Most days are good, especially now that we have a great mattress, but I'm still more aware of my lower back and how it is feeling than the average bear.

The only ride on your list that I have not ridden is Space Mountain. I *really* want to ride it but my husband was insisting that it would mess my back up on our last trip. I rode BTMRR 4 times in a row on our last night and only experienced some slight discomfort on one ride. (Don't sit in the second-to-last seat in the train!)

 

[dawnhaze]

Space Mountain and Dinosaur are the jerkiest of the rides you mentioned, IMO. My back and neck problems are relatively minor and they bother me if I ride them more than once. Primeval Whirl is almost as bad (and it's also just not a great ride, in my opinion).

Test Track is mostly smooth but the part where the car 'swerves' to 'avoid' a 'truck' does slam you to the side pretty hard. If you know it's coming you can brace for it and it's not quite so bad, but someone with more serious problems might probably want to skip it.

Big Thunder Mountain slides you back and forth on the seat, but I've never experienced it whipping my neck around like Space Mountain does. Your mileage may vary, of course. The fact that you can see ahead and brace for what's coming helps a bit, and the movements are less extreme than the 'swerve' on Test Track, there's just more of them.

Star Tours rocks back and forth more than jerks you around. Some of the movements are more extreme than others but I don't feel like it puts any stress on my neck. Mission Space is even milder, at least on the green side - green just tilts you up and down, no real quick movements.

 

[disnut8]

Depends on what you consider a back problem. My mom who is on disability because of back problems would not ride any of those rides. In my book, if you have back problems, any ride that warns be free of back issues, don't ride.

Quite honestly and from experience, that's not true at Disney World.

I had back problems (now under control), my husband has a bad back (not enough to warrant constraints), I have a broken neck.

There are a few people we trust with this issue. My husband, myself, and our doctor.

I have and always will have a neck that is broken. It's healed but it did break. And can break again quite easily with the right conditions. I did not ride any thrill ride at Disney World for five years. Until I asked the doctor. His reply? "I say you driving in Atlanta traffic will have more of an impact (no pun intended) on your broken neck than any roller coaster you can ever imagine". This said while he was intensely examining my neck.

Since then, I am back on all thrill rides with no ill effects at all.

Ask the doctor!

 

[jeffbear]

A lot of the time the issue is not the ride itself but the ride vehicle. Big Thunder is a problem primarily because the vehicle seating is so low that your torso gets whipped around. Barnstormer may be a kiddie coaster but the vehicle is so small that most adults will get whipped around pretty good.

On the opposite end ... Rockin Roller Coaster is a fast twisty coaster but the vehicle and the over should restraints mean you move around less and cause less stress to your neck.

At the end of the discussion you have to apply common sense and caution. Each individual knows their own condition best and you can get a sense of the rides based on the ride through videos available on line. If you have doubts, then bail.

 

[xipotec]

Yah , no ride is worth the risk of serious back injury....

BIG NO !!!
Dinosaur ( hurt me once!)
BTMRR
SPM

MAYBE?
prime whirl

 

[LisaTC]

I will be going to Disney with my family and my best friend in a couple weeks. My mom happens to be afraid of a lot of rides, but she says she's going to try to be more adventurous this time However, she does have back problems. I've been looking at all the rides and finding some that I think look tame enough for her to not be scared, but I want to make sure they're not too jerky either so they won't hurt her back.

The ones I'm specifically wondering about are Test Track, Big Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, Primeval Whirl, and Dinosaur. I know Dinosaur isn't a roller coaster but I heard it still jerks you around a lot, is that true? I know Test Track goes really fast at the end, but just wondering how smooth that bit is. And of course, BTM, SM, and PW are all pretty tame roller coasters so I think my mom may be able to do those, but again, are they jerky? I've heard some things about Space and Primeval Whirl being rough.

And also the motion simulator rides. Soarin' looks like it's pretty gentle, but I'm wondering about Star Tours and Mission Space (the green side obviously).

Dinosaur was exceedingly jerky. No matter what part of your back is injured, I'd stay well away from Dinosaur. Also, and not many mentioned this, but I found Kilimanjaro safaris really jerky, bouncy and stop and start, as well, and it did bother me some. Big Thunder and Test track are fast and push you to one side or another. I didn't notice the jerks, but BTMRR, especially, does push you into the curve. I did notice a bit of discomfort from Goofy's Barnstormer, as well. Primeval "hurl" is a spinner.