63rickert

You really do want to spend a ton of money, either. Mess up your back and the medical bills will dwarf what is possible to spend on a bicycle.

It also sounds like your injury and rehab have never been fully resolved. Time to visit a sports orthopedist and perhaps a physical therapist. A sports orthopedist is not a guy who wants to turn you into an athlete, he’s an orthopedist who does not perform surgery. They work primarily with physical therapy. They do this crazy thing where they spend time talking with their patients.

Two main problems with back injuries and cycling. Riding a bike locks you in one position a long time. It had better be the right position and it better not hurt. Second problem is sprinting. Sprints put a huge load on lower back.You imagine you won’t be sprinting and then you need to move quick to avoid that car, or even just that pothole. These problems can be addressed. Preferably with professional help.

curlyp

I’m confused as to why you think my injury and rehab have never been resolved?

In fact it has and I have a better quality of life now. The surgeon explain the pro and cons of the surgery and what I would get out of it. Due to my injury, I know I will never do an Ironman contest and the surgeon explained it. There is no fix my for back - the surgery was to give me a better quality of life with out excruciating pain 24/7 and flare ups that would bed rid or hospitalize me for a week.

I’ve lived with this pain for 13+ years when I was injured in the military. The pain worsened, so it was time to look at other options. And yes, I’ve tried all therapy, specialized trainers, etc. there was nothing to be done to prevent my injury from becoming worse.

This is is the best I’ve felt in a long time. I am able to kick a ball with children, go on walks, and perform light activities without being in excruciating pain. To me, being able to play with my children without excruciating pain is worth the few limitations I have due to surgery.

63rickert

OK, we know a lot more now. It was a severe injury. You have made a recovery. First, do no harm. Protect the recovery you have made.

Playing with children is super demanding, all sorts of unexpected occurs moment to moment, so you are doing well.

Full recovery would mean no pain, no limit on activities. That may not be possible.

A hundred years ago bicycles were used intensively in orthopedic therapy. Frank Bowden, founder of Raleigh is an example of that. It went away mostly because it worked too well and did not make money. Bicycles are powerful orthopedic tools. On a bicycle you will perform literally millions of repetitions of specific movements. Nothing else come close. Of course if the specific movement is wrong it will get you in trouble after a few million repeats.

Most cyclists fall way too often. Last time I fell was 1999. A riding partner who has as little as 15% bone mass in his lumbar vertebrae, who will be paralyzed or die if he falls, has not come off the bike since 1978. But most cyclists do fall occasionally. Could your back survive a spill?

Sports Orthopedics is a board certified specialty. You know if you have seen one or not. They are in a specialty that earns a small fraction of what the surgeons make. They believe in what they do. In any community they have the best PTs working with them, because they work and communicate with the therapists all the time. Some surgeons do some of that, it is not the same.

You need to see a civilian doctor. Military medicine is completely different. It is not about being loyal, it is not about technical qualifications of the doctors. It is about mindset. The visit to doctor may be uninsured. When I see my guy it usually takes about two hours. First an interview with a PT or RN. Then a visit with an Internal Medecine intern. Then a visit with an orthopedic intern. And then the doctor. By the time I see the doctor I’ve already seen two MDs. And the group of them has conferenced on my case. Then a dead minimum of twenty minutes with the senior guy or maybe the senior guy plus the panel. Or he may pull in other specialists who are there at the clinic. I pay full fare for this and an office visit is $200. Sports Orthopedics is different. You might discover it gets different results.

Notso_fastLane

If you have back issues, you might seriously look into recumbent (bike or trike).

I have mild (now, used to be worse) back issues, and switching to my recumbent bike really made a huge difference in ride comfort. Recumbents have actual seats, not saddles.

Of course, that road led to needing (needing, I tell you) to get a velomobile. Now I almost never drive any of my vehicles.

curlyp

Thanks for the information. I’ll reach out to them.

BlazingPedals

It's said there are two kinds of cyclists: those who have fallen and those who will. I'd go one step further and say all of us are in the second group whether or not we're in the first. (There's those Venn diagrams!) Anyway, the first thing you need to do is determine your sensitivity to falls. Can you afford to fall? If so, a bike, maybe hybrid or mountain bike, would work. If you absolutely can't afford to fall, then you're going to need a trike. Most upright trikes are pretty limited, and most recumbent trikes have prices that will make your eyes water compared to a Wally-World bike.