Journey through Pain: Matt's Triumph over Sciatica

What if a simple round of golf changed your life forever? This episode of Bed Back and Beyond features Matt, a 34-year-old from New Jersey, who shares his compelling story of battling a severe back injury that spiraled into sciatic pain and debilitating symptoms like foot drop and pelvic tilt. Matt opens up about the frustrating journey through misdiagnoses and ineffective treatments before finding his path to the right medical professionals who finally provided the necessary surgical intervention. 

Tune in to hear about Matt's remarkable recovery process, from the essential tools that eased his daily life post-surgery to the emotional rollercoaster of physical limitations and coping mechanisms. We discuss the crucial role of physical therapy, the importance of following medical restrictions, and the adjustments Matt made to return to work confidently. Matt's story is a testament to resilience, showing the importance of community support and sharing recovery stories to inspire others. Don't miss his hopeful outlook on returning to his beloved hobby of golfing, proving that perseverance can lead to renewed hope and joy.

Transcript

Overcoming Back Injury With Surgery

Speaker 1 0:00

It was after a round of golf and I basically just completely locked up back spasms and I was able to get through that conservatively. It kind of slowly, slowly progressed over. You know six weeks or so with some PT, so that wasn't. I didn't really get the sciatic pain at first and then I had a couple flare-ups. Basically it was like every fall I'd be going through this and then this past October of 2023 was where it started to really go downhill.

Speaker 2 0:36

Welcome to Bed Back and Beyond, sharing positive stories of recovery from serious back or neck injury. Your host is CK, a fellow champion who draws on her own experience with herniated disc surgery. Join her as she talks with others who have overcome the physical and emotional trauma of a painful injury and discover for yourself how you can find hope and encouragement in recovery.

Speaker 3 1:04

Hi Matt. Thank you so much for joining me on this episode of Bed Back Beyond. Before we dive into your injury, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Speaker 1 1:13

Sure, my name is Matt, I'm 34. I live in New Jersey. I'm a very, very active person. That's kind of what it stemmed from, what my injury stemmed from. I'm very, very big into mountain biking, all things, cycling. I was a big golfer before the injury, played baseball growing up, so it was just a lot of things. Yeah, married, no kids. Yeah, I work in IT, so I sit a lot of the day.

Speaker 3 1:44

When did you start to notice an issue with your back?

Speaker 1 1:48

So the initial injury was back in 2021. It was after a round of golf. I basically just completely locked up back spasms and I was able to get through that conservatively. It kind of slowly, slowly progressed over you know six weeks or so, with some PT, so that wasn't I didn't really get the sciatic pain at first, and then I had a couple flare ups. Basically it was like every fall I'd be going through this. And then this past yeah, october of 2023 was where it started to really go downhill.

Speaker 3 2:27

Okay For me, even as a teenager. I would throw my back out, felt like every other year and my parents and my sisters the same. So I my back started to act up in April and it just felt like the normal. Oh, I threw my back out, yeah, but it just didn't get better. Usually that clears up within three weeks, yeah.

Speaker 1 2:52

That's kind of the way I ended up. Yeah, usually sciatic pain wasn't a part of mine either. Right, a new symptom that I was like. That's not great.

Speaker 3 3:01

Right, so you got some back pain when you were golfing. When did the sciatic pain start to move in?

Speaker 1 3:08

So that was after I not so wisely as my wife would put it, uh went on a mountain biking trip, I came back and I was pushing through it and on the bike I never really got much pain, which was which is like a good thing, um. But when I got back it was clearly like I had a lot of pelvic tilt, so I was very clearly over leaning to one side, yeah, okay.

Speaker 1 3:36

My initial PT um misdiagnosed that a little bit as actual pelvic tilt. But once I got my surgery it kind of I was walking up right that day.

Speaker 3 3:47

So um, yeah it was it was about.

Speaker 1 3:51

November, november, I was feeling a little bit better, and then, december, I took one ride, got back and I knew something was very off. I couldn't really, I couldn't really walk at that point. I was, you know, bedridden.

Speaker 3 4:05

What kind of symptoms were you having in November?

Speaker 1 4:09

So November was kind of the difficult back pain, just a lot of stiffness. I've still able to go about my life. Sitting was a little uncomfortable I was kind of always cognizant of that. And then, yeah, the sciatic pain. Once that came, that was when I started. I started getting foot drop, I started getting, yeah, really bad tilt, and I switched pts at that point because that was where I was like I don't think this. Uh, the first pt was really working for me.

Speaker 3 4:40

they were focused on the pelvic tilt instead of the herniation, so Okay, and so did the new PT say hey, this, this might be a herniation.

Speaker 1 4:49

Yeah, yeah, I did end up going. I I'm lucky I have a McGill master clinician about 20 minutes from me, so I was willing to pay out of pocket. I was like you know what this is. I got to get this fixed and he wasn't particularly surprised when I came back. I think I got. I had like a follow-up with my ortho, uh, about three weeks after I started with him and he wasn't too surprised. Or I was like, yeah, they're saying surgery is the best route, and he's like, yeah, so how?

Speaker 3 5:19

did you? When did you decide to see the ortho?

Speaker 1 5:22

uh. So I started that in uh 2021 and then I I don't think I went the couple flare ups, but this past uh in 2023 was when I went back to him. So I went back to him in the fall and then had a follow-up in in december and that's when he he saw foot drop. He saw the limping, the weakness in the foot and that's when he said, okay, you need to go see a surgeon today.

Speaker 3 5:52

Okay.

Speaker 1 5:53

Oh, today, yeah, so he called up the surgeon that he referred and I was in that day.

Speaker 3 6:00

Oh, wow so did they consider that emergency surgery.

Speaker 1 6:03

It was an emergency now, since I didn't have any.

Speaker 3 6:09

The red flag symptoms.

Speaker 1 6:10

Yeah, no red flag symptoms. But they said basically, the longer you wait, the more likely this is going to be a permanent issue and you might not get that strength back and you might not walk with a full gait gait anymore. So I was like, okay, that's, yeah, that doesn't sound like something I want to be involved in so how did you feel?

Speaker 3 6:31

it feels like the choice of whether or not to get surgery was kind of taken away from you, or were you like that's great, let's just do it?

Speaker 1 6:38

yeah, I think I did go through the kind of you see it all the time where people you know everyone tries to avoid surgery. Of course no one wants to go through that, but once I so I had the first opinion from the ortho, then surgeon and then I saw a second surgeon and they all kind of said the exact same thing. So I was like, okay, that's, I think three opinions is enough, that this is the right thing to do for me because I wasn't getting better right, I was just to say especially the months of physical therapy, not yeah.

Speaker 1 7:07

Yeah, I couldn't even like I was trying all the McGill methods. I was doing the big three as best I could. I was going on walks, but I could only manage maybe 10 minutes before I was heading back, just in pain, just like this isn't great for me.

Speaker 3 7:23

Were you in and out on the day of surgery or did you have to spend the night I?

Speaker 1 7:26

was yeah. The surgery, I think, was at 10 am and I was home by about three.

Speaker 3 7:32

Okay, how was your surgical?

Speaker 1 7:34

pain Pretty minimal. The day after I was pretty sore, just like very stiff. Then, like the following, like three or four days, I was pretty, pretty sore, just like very stiff. Then then, like the following, like three or four days I was pretty stiff. But other than that, like the, the like incision was, you know, sore, but I, I had a very, very easy recovery, not yeah, what are you about?

Speaker 3 8:00

You're about seven months out, is that correct?

Speaker 1 8:02

Yep, yep, february 5th was my surgery.

Speaker 3 8:06

Okay, yeah, I went back to the Reddit just to say, okay, users sign up on Reddit and nobody tells me their name.

Speaker 1 8:14

Who am.

Speaker 3 8:15

I talking to today.

Speaker 1 8:17

Yep.

Speaker 3 8:18

Okay, and so you're seven months out. You just said that recovery was easy. Did you have any moments of oh my gosh, I think I re-herniated. I think everyone does. You just said that that recovery was easy. Did you have any moments of oh my gosh, I think I reharneed it, or?

Speaker 1 8:28

I think everyone does. I don't think that's.

Recovery and Returning to Activities

Speaker 1 8:30

Yeah, but it was like you know, you I've I read probably every thread that was posted on that subreddit for a solid month, like I was. I was reading every single, every single story and like give it, give it a day or two, see how it goes. And then so the any kind of flare ups that I had were luckily just very, very minor, mostly muscular, and I was, I was up. Well, I think I hit 10,000 steps like five or six days post-op. So I was, I felt good almost right away.

Speaker 3 9:04

It was, it was amazing, awesome, um any particular tools that you had that you found helpful during your recovery.

Speaker 1 9:14

Yeah, yeah. So I did prep a bidet before I didn't end up using it. I was lucky with that. The sock helper was great. Once I did start going on walks outside, I had like three grabbers, I think, all throughout the house. They were just strewn about. So whenever I had to pick something up and then like a sponge on a stick for for showering was very helpful.

Speaker 3 9:40

Yeah, I think there's a surgery kit for hip surgery that comes with those.

Speaker 1 9:44

That's exactly what I got and I didn't really use the uh the dress helper dressing.

Speaker 2 9:50

Yeah.

Speaker 1 9:51

That, that I didn't find that necessary, but other than that I didn't find that necessary, but other than that, yeah.

Speaker 3 10:00

I was very, very Milton about not bending lifting, twisting, Did they tell you?

Speaker 1 10:05

six weeks, or did they say a different? They they were. My surgeon was almost like a little too lax to where, like I went above and beyond his recommendations. He basically said no bending, lifting, twisting until the first uh follow-up, which was two weeks out, and then, at the two week, got a two week post-op. He said like you're good, you don't have to come back. And I was like, can I come back? So I kind of pushed for the six week, like I want you to tell me like I can do this, I can do this. I just want your blessing. Uh, so yeah, I I followed the six weeks and I still kind of don't bend, lift, twist as best I can. Um, at least you know bending. Um, I am back in the gym so I I'm doing some lifting, a twisting, like I haven't returned to golf and I'm not sure I ever will.

Speaker 3 10:54

Oh, okay, I uh. I am five years out and I still love rolling out of bed.

Speaker 1 11:00

Yeah, oh, absolutely yeah.

Speaker 3 11:02

I think that's just from now on.

Speaker 1 11:04

Now, it's a habit. That's the way I get in and out.

Speaker 3 11:05

Yeah, yeah, so were you prescribed physical therapy for after your surgery?

Speaker 1 11:11

Another one of those things. My surgeon said you don't need it. But I said I want it, I want to go see this or I want to go see um, I want to go see a physical therapy therapist, I trust. And I did a different one. It wasn't the mcgill this time, because I found someone that was a little closer um, which was nice, but same, very one-on-one I. I was working with a doctor of physical therapy the whole time. It was the same person. They were very so. I started four weeks post-op, which was a little early. I got a little pushback on that but my PT was very gentle. The first two weeks it was mostly just like very preliminary, making sure the incision was good and all that. So I went from week four to week 10,.

Speaker 3 11:56

I believe, and how did you do with being such an active person with being restricted for so many weeks?

Speaker 1 12:04

Yeah, it was. It was an adjustment, I think I I walked more in that first month than I did the year before. It was just like walking was my new job was every day. I had like an alarm set for every hour. At first I was getting up just doing some laps in the living room and then, once I was able to go walk outside, I was going on two, three walks a day, which was, yeah, I was at least able to. You know, because I I did put on some weight. I did about, I think, 25 pounds in like the four or five months I was inactive.

Speaker 3 12:42

Yes, dairy Queen was my emotional support while I was recovering.

Speaker 1 12:46

Oh, yeah, oh yeah, I put some weight on too Lots of ice cream?

Speaker 3 12:50

Yes, and when were you able to return to work?

Speaker 1 12:55

So I took two weeks completely off and then I did two weeks from home and now, and then four weeks I was back in the office and they were very on my my, my work was very understanding and I do thankfully have a sit stand desk. Ok, I still alternate one hour up, one hour down.

Speaker 3 13:15

OK, yeah.

Speaker 1 13:16

That was very key. Sorry, I don't do a ton of lifting at work either, so that was obviously very easy to make accommodations for me when I returned.

Speaker 3 13:26

I have a job where I have to stand most of the time and before the injury I would be bent over at a desk and then since then I've raised my desk and haven't changed that. I'll be having a raised desk for the rest of my life, I think.

Speaker 1 13:42

Absolutely, oh yeah.

Speaker 3 13:44

Yeah.

Speaker 1 13:45

Keeps you active. I like the standing desk more than I did.

Speaker 3 13:50

Definitely, and what activities have you gotten back to since your surgery?

Speaker 1 13:55

What activities have you gotten back to since your surgery? So I'm back on all forms of bikes. I'm back on mountain biking, which was my long-term goal, which I would kind of put myself in the fall. I said, you know, by the fall, if I was back on my mountain bike I'm over the moon. But I think July, early July, I started and I've had very little issue with, even with the repetitive hits that you kind of get to this fine, but it's been. You know, I've dialed it back a little bit.

Speaker 3 14:26

Okay.

Speaker 1 14:26

Yeah.

Speaker 2 14:27

Okay, not quite the same level.

Speaker 3 14:31

I think we probably saw it, but we had somebody in the forum who hit a bump on a car ride and was convinced that they reherniated and came back to say no, I didn't reherniate it. So I hear you're on a mountain bike, just bumping all over the place.

Speaker 1 14:48

Yeah, that's been the biggest surprise. I mean, my surgeon said I can go back to mountain biking at six weeks and I said absolutely not.

Speaker 3 14:56

Yeah.

Speaker 1 14:57

Almost maybe. Maybe you don't know what I'm doing. If you saw what I was doing, maybe not, but um.

Speaker 3 15:03

Have you ever ridden a mountain bike before? Right.

Speaker 1 15:06

Yeah, even the smooth trails are still like you still hit stuff and it's like, eh, but uh, I just came back from a mountain biking trip where I rode four straight days for three hours at a time. I'm good, I'm doing my. I'm doing a lot of like core work. It's like I'm very, uh, very strict about I have to stretch before and after that's.

Speaker 3 15:27

I think that's been a big, big help to getting any particular exercise moves that you feel were particularly helpful or that you focus on now.

Speaker 1 15:43

Definitely do the bird dogs. Bird dogs Doing a lot of kind of like open books, I think kind of helps open up the rest of my back. What else do I do? I've been getting a little bit of like hip weirdness, which is fairly common from what I could tell.

Speaker 3 15:58

Um, so I do some hip stretching like yeah, moving my legs back and forth while keeping my spine neutral yeah yeah, but bird dogs have definitely been helpful for strengthening the core I have the unfortunate habit of being someone who's like oh, I'm better now and stop doing yeah, you know the exercise or whatever and when I do that I actually start to get pain in both my hips, especially on long walks. Then I have to remind myself you got to keep doing the hip exercises on top of you know all the other things. Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 1 16:31

And did you say you're?

Speaker 1 16:32

weightlifting again and did you say you were weightlifting again. Yeah, yeah. So with the PT we started adding kind of some lifting over time, from, like, I think, weeks 8 through 10, we started adding some twisting too. So I've kind of it's been a lot of continuing what they were working on. They gave me a home exercise program and I've kind of I've added a core day to my lifting, along with the normal, you know, chest day, and I have a leg day, which is a little bit different. Now, no, no squatting, no dead lifting, probably never will, but we do have like a uh, I'd say a belt squat so it sits on your, at your hips instead of on your back. So, no, no pressure on the spine, but I could still do a squat, a version of a squat that doesn't cause any pain.

Speaker 3 17:24

Okay, and did they limit how much weight you should lift overhead?

Speaker 1 17:29

None that I, none that was conveyed to me. I still aren't, I'm still not really pushing anything in the gym. Sure, okay, maybe next year, you know, start. But so far so good. It's kind of okay yeah great.

Speaker 3 17:43

Now, matt, are you the one who um will post a? Uh, a story from an athlete about their herniated disc experience is that you?

Speaker 1 17:53

um, I don't think so. I think I. I think I saw that thread.

Speaker 3 17:57

Oh, okay, somebody's come on and post it like here's this golfer and here's this mountain biker. Oh, that is me actually. Yeah, that is you.

Speaker 1 18:03

Yeah, I love those stories. Yeah, in early recovery, when I was just doing a ton of research, I was looking up all the different athletes, like Rob Gronkowski we just had a mountain biker at it the stuff he's doing. I'm very curious to see how he bounces back from the surgery, because we're talking like he's dropping off 50 foot cliffs oh, wow so a little bit surgery yeah, yeah I mean I I wish him the best and I hope he recovers as well as I did I followed your link for one.

Speaker 3 18:39

I think you put a Will a golfer.

Speaker 1 18:44

Yep.

Speaker 3 18:44

And I reached out to them to be on my podcast, but they never got back to me. I'm too small yet.

Speaker 1 18:52

Yeah, maybe after the season they're just winding down, maybe they'll have a little more time.

Speaker 3 18:56

Yeah, so for people who are on the community or just on the YouTube page, what would you have to say to them? Who's just starting with the herniated disc experience?

Speaker 1 19:10

Be patient, give yourself more time to recover than you think. Initial herniation, even before surgery. I kind of forget, like I do my home exercise stretches and then I'd feel better and then repeat the process. Just keep working on your core strength If you can do what you can do what doesn't hurt. You know, like walking was making me hurt, but I was pushing through it Cause that's, you know, that's the.

Speaker 1 19:39

McGill method you walk, but it wasn't, it wasn't helping me. So it's kind of you know, that's the McGill method you walk, but it wasn't, it wasn't helping me. So it's kind of you know, do what doesn't hurt and then build from there. Definitely I even though I think surgery was the best thing I've ever done don't rush into surgery. Do surgery when it makes sense. Do surgery when it's still it's the option that that will help you best. And what's your go-to spot for mountain biking? Uh, so in new jersey we do have a quite a bit of spots, but my favorite is always going to be vermont it's, it's so beautiful up there, yeah okay, yeah it's a little smoother too actually

Speaker 1 20:18

oh is it yeah, less rocks up there.

Speaker 3 20:20

Oh, interesting.

Speaker 1 20:22

Yeah Right, it feels backwards.

Speaker 3 20:23

but yeah Well, that's great, Matt. I'm so glad to hear that you're doing so well and slowly getting back into your hobbies. I'm sure people will just appreciate seeing that you can get past this Absolutely.

Sharing Stories of Recovery

Speaker 1 20:38

Yeah, yeah, I, I'm so grateful it's given me my life back. It was, uh, it was, a rough few months and I'm sure you know, I'm sure I'm not alone with with a positive, a positive story which you know, on the forums, the facebook groups. It's even now like when I first was in these groups. You know the early recovery, that's all I was doing. You know I was home. I first was in these groups. The early recovery, that's all I was doing. I was home, I was just in the groups, even though I was having a good recovery, I was posting about it. But now it's like seven months out, I try to pop back in, I try to give a voice of positive recovery, but it's tough. I commend you for running all this because it's great. Everyone should see the variety of outcomes that surgery can give.

Speaker 3 21:27

I appreciate you commenting. Even if it's a little bit, in the community they love to see the recovery.

Speaker 1 21:34

Absolutely.

Speaker 3 21:35

Thank you, it's such a pleasure to meet you.

Speaker 1 21:37

Yeah, thank you for having me. It was nice to talk recovery again. Thank you for having me.

Speaker 3 21:42

It was nice to talk recovery again, if you are a listener and you have a positive story of recovery from a serious neck or back injury, head over to bedbackbeyondcom and click share your story. I would love to include your voice on the show. Matt, once again, good luck in the rest of your healing and.

Speaker 2 22:00

I'm sure you'll get back to golfing.

Speaker 1 22:02

I hope so.

Speaker 3 22:04

Bye-bye.