Originally Posted by
rex66
I can give you my story but YMMV. 9 years ago I had a very large herniated disc that kept me out of work for the first time in my life. I missed about 8 weeks. The pain was so bad I could not get any sleep. They gave me Vicodin but all that did was make me feel loopy for about 30 minutes then gave me an upset stomach....still much pain and no sleep. My Neurologist wanted me to have surgery as he said it was the largest herniation he had seen to date but my chiropractor referred to him as a cut-happy whack job and begged me to give him more time to work with me. One night when I was not sleeping I watched that Teeter hang ups commercial and figured "why the hell not". It was only $300 and I was desperate. To shorten an already too long story I needed no surgery thanks to that inversion table and I can jog, bike, kayak, enjoy sex (sometimes with a partner if I'm lucky) and hike mountains in the Adirondacks all with no pain. I still use that inversion table every morning and do 120 crunches on it.
I'm not saying it's going to be the answer for everyone but it's worth looking into.
A little more info. I was diagnosed with a slightly herniated disc 14 years before it exploded on me. It was a minor annoyance at worst that had me see a chiropractor 2-3 times a year but did not prevent me from playing sports or working. I think you may want to look in to inverting to keep your spine decompressed.
I have a very similar history. I couldn't sleep a wink for a solid 3 weeks; vicodin wouldn't touch it. I was about ready to cut my leg off to get away from the pain. Had an epidural shot and two hours later, it was like it never happened. A physical therpist gave me some stretches that really seem to work for me but I have to do them regularly. I still have bouts of back pain but nothing like that 3 week period. The inversion table makes sense to me and I have been looking for a good one. Develping a strong core as suggested above will really help with your cycling endurance in general. Try not to push too big a gear when climbing because that can be very taxing to the back. But again, stretching and flexibility is key.