[Despair] Docs say I can never play basketball again

I have had back problems since your age, but fortunately have not had surgery, though I probably should have. Age as Deckard said is in your favor. Take care of your back with a lot of physical therapy type exercises. Maybe you can play in another year or two. Do a lot of walking. Avoid jogging for that year or two. Do a lot of swimming.


In short from a physical perspective, treat yourself like McGrady or certainly Grant Hill or Bill Walton should have done and DO NOT TRY TO RETURN A SEASON OR TWO TOO EARLY. Practice your jump shot for the next year or two so you don't have to just drive to be a good player.

Be sure to get real educated/ skilled, so your financial well being does not in any way depend on a healthy back.


Good luck, but protect that back.

The voice of experience.

 

Back pain sucks, I can feel your pain (literally.) I have two herniated discs, L3-L4 and L4-L5. I've had these for almost 9 years (I'm only 27), but the pain has gotten really bad the last year or so. I just got done going through a month of disc decompression treatment and it didn't help at all. Today actually I just made an appointment to get another round of injections.

 

Take it easy with these, and definitely talk to your doc, but you may want to try doing some compound exercises - they will strengthen the muscles around your spine, and take some of the tension away from structural stuff.

Things like deadlifts and what not.

EDIT: Link wasn't working.

 

Well I know how you feel and more. I had two herniated discs in my spine one of which came completely out of my spine. If that nerve would have torn I would be paralyzed today. I was 15 years old when this happened and felt like my world was crashing down because all I did was play sports.

First I went to a orthepedic doctor who told me not to get back surgery and to do some exercises to help it get better. Well all that did was make it worse and I could not run or jump for 1 year. Then I went to go see a neurosurgeon. He told me right off that I needed to have surgery. As a 15 year old athelete I was very weary about having surgery on my back. After a lot of thinking we decided to have the surgery and the disc was removed from my spine. It is now 12 years later and my back feels GREAT. I have had 4 times in the last 12 years where there were about 2 days where my back felt bad and I couldn't do anything for a couple of days. But only 4 times in 12 years is not bad at all. 99% of the time I feel wonderful and I do whatever I want. Play basketball, football, run, workout. Nothing is off limits for me now. It was the best decision I could have ever made. Even now my back will very rarely stiffen up. It is almost like that surgery gave me my life back. Don't close your options or feel like you can't do anything. Talk to many types of doctors and see what you think is best for you. I am sure back surgery scares a lot of people off but it was the best decision I have ever made.

 

My back is trashed- I could harldy walk for a summer a couple of years ago. I find that beer helps.

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^ i'm betting on a fusion... 30% feel better 30% feel the same and 30% feels even worse after back surgery. He sounds like the first 30%.

 

I really feel for you man. I've had to pretty much give up competitive martial arts after messing up my joints too much and it really sucks having to sit around and watch others play. Of course I made that decision when I was 35 not 21. My advice is take it easy for a year or two but still keep in shape with things like swimming and biking to keep your stamina up without putting too much pressure on your back. I've also heard that Yoga and Pilates can do a lot to help strengthen up the muscles in your back.

At 21 if you keep in shape you still have a chance to possibly heal or else medical technology might improve enough to have practical treatments.

Good luck and whatever you do don't become a couch potato!

 

Well they did not replace the disc in my back so I assume it was fused together. I believe it was my L5 that was the one that completely slipped out of my spine. Still to this day that surgery was the best decision I have made in my life. I feel normal as opposed to limited to what I can do. I think that having the surgery so young (I went to a highly respected doctor who had preformed many of these surgerys and I was the youngest patient he ever had) helped me recover so well. I could go and play ball 7 days a week if I wanted to and all I do is bang under the basket. And since my surgery I have helped no less than 5 friends move and had no problem moving the heaviest of furniture up and down stairs.