FJ Aircrew Back Problems, Advice Please.

[Solid Rust Twotter]

Pretty much exactly what Hempy said. Had a number of titanium pins placed in my back and flying again six months after the surgery. Chiropractor almost put me in a wheelchair. See a neurosurgeon rather than an orthopaedic bloke. Not FJ so no idea what effect it'll have on ejection cat but my back is pretty bullet proof at the moment except for the occasional anti inflammatory about three or four times a year.

[fayslag]

LHF, feel sorry for you mate. I came out of the mil a couple of years ago and still suffer with back pain. Although my back problem was recognized by the mil (visits to the Osteo paid for etc) and a visit to Headley Court which was brill, you will get little help when you leave. The Gazelle screwed my back up and even now I cant sit down for longer than 5 mins without the old lumbar cushion. There are a few AAC guys who have had the op etc and it has been successful for most. Make sure you get a decent Osteo/Chiro as there are folk out there that will charge a fortune and it may not make the slightest bit of difference. It is worth getting an xray prior to treatment so you/they can see the problem.

I have spent literally thousands on treatment and now I just do stretches and walk etc and have binned the visits. My back is just the same as if I'd been to the osteo every fortnight!

To reiterate, ensure you get a good diagnosis and ensure you get the best treatment whilst you are still serving! Good luck!

[k1rb5]

Harry

I've had problems with a herniated disc at L5/S1 for a while. Surgery was the only thing that worked for me.PM me if you want the details of the man who can help you.

K1rb5

[The Real Slim Shady]

LHF

Ejection seat flying is not the be all and end of all of aviation.

You can still fly the large civilian type airplanes and have your tea served by a sweet smelling young lady......or young man

Big picture, springs to mind.

[NorthernSID]

Back Op & flying 6 weeks later

I flew Tornado, actually burst a disc, had (minor) spinal surgery & was flying 6 weeks later!

Burst L4/5 & effectively had a hydraulic leak (disc fluid) into the electrical system (spinal column) which was messing up the nerve transmission

Physio was useless

The simple version was to remove the hydraulic fluid from the electrical system & all was fine

Technically it was a hemi-laminectomy (I think), where they made a semi-circular hole in the projection on one of the vertabrae to allow them to reach the fluid & suck it out

Because there was no alteration to the structure of the spine, there was no ejection seat issue & it was merely a case of post-op recovery

I was fortunate that the GP that refered me was an av-med specialist & refered me to a doc who he knew had done the exact same op 12 months previously - I was in Saudi Arabia at the time & he was a BAE doc

Consequently I have been fine & flew for some 2 years before retiring. My back is now better than it ever was - no twinging or anything

If you want to talk specifics further, please PM me

[Lord Harry Flashman]

Chrio vs Surgery

Cheers for all the helpful posts and PMs. I don't feel quite so lost now. I am seeing a chiro at the moment although I havent noticed much improvement as yet (Only had 2 sessions). Still waiting for surgical opinion. There seems to be a lot of opinion that surgery should really only be a last resort. Progress is painfully and frustratingly slow, I didn't realise how long these back problems take to fix. Thanks all.

LHF

[c130jbloke]

LHF check your PMs

[Not now I'm busy]

Stick with it

Flash, I got a back injury riding a Mk 10 seat. Be esp careful about the amount of 'bed rest' you get - there be lower back complications...

Your SMO can refer you to a Regional Rehab Unit (RRU, unsurprisingly). They run absolutely excellent 2 week Courses to get you back (or in my case start) working out and running.

[Solid Rust Twotter]

May one suggest avoiding the chiro for herniated discs. The barstewards almost put me in a wheelchair and charged like a wounded buffalo for it. A slight tweak to a misaligned spine is what they're for, if you have pain and weakness caused by herniated discs, the only way out is surgery. I went various routes myself to avoid having surgery and things only got progressively worse. I ended up dragging a foot while walking in a classic case of "drop foot" and being unable to sit for more than five minutes without intense pain. Surgery sorted all that out almost instantaneously but I was warned that the longer you leave it the more damage occurs as a result of the nerves being compressed by the herniated disc. If it's required, best to get it done sooner rather than later.

Currently have six pins, two metal cages and two connecting rods bolting spine to pelvis, no pain and full use of all the bits previously affected.

[threeputt]

Sciatica

Had sciatica for 20+years and nothing seemed to help. In hope more than anything else my GP referred me to a surgical consultant at PMH Swindon who recommended a "Caudal Epidural". Basically this is an injection of anti- inflammatories, under general anesthetic, into the lower coccyx.

Not sore in any way and all done and dusted in 20 mins. Result ....no pain for over a year (fingers crossed that it lasts).

It worked for me

3P

[Lord Harry Flashman]

Epidural

I have just been seen by a surgical consultant (who could not answer questions about getting back to flying as he was civvie!) He has recommended the epidural injections that you speak of. Does anyone else have experience of this type of treatment? Assuming it makes me pain free, is it as simple as getting A1G1Z1 restored and going flying or is there more to it?

LHF

[Sideshow Bob]

LHF,
I've had both lumber and cirviacal epidurals (due to having disc degeneration), normally when I've had these done I've had nerve root blocks done at the same time (blocks the pain). First time I had it done it lasted 3 months, second time was 3 days!!! So as you can see the results vary. Hope this helps.

[Mister-T]

Whilst I am not FJ I have am Rotary Pongo pilot whom had prolapsed disc op and returned to flying albeit I was grounded for a year. It was specified at the time that were I FJ (Ejection seat) I would not return to that role but more harrowing was the news that I might over time make the whole matter very messy and maybe unoperable if I continued to leave it go unsorted.

I would recommend the MRI that was suggested on an earlier post and make the best decision from there.

[SLLC]

Back injury

LHF - sorry to hear about your back issues; looking at this thread it is clearly a common issue.

I swapped a serviceable back for a bug**ered one back in June thanks to the truly wonderful people at Martin Baker. I am now fighting to get my med cat back. Apart from the micro-fractures of the vertebrae I have had no specific diagnosis of the pain I am currently suffering and despite constant physio and about 2 hours a day in the gym for 3 months I am not yet recovered. I have therefore been referred back to a military spinal surgeon and will have another MRI and bone scan. It's all taking a while though.

Not had any experience with osteopaths and thankfully no talk of surgery yet. I have had all this through the SMO and on-station support and am happy with it thus far - I think I have been very lucky with the physio we have though. I'll keep you up to date on getting the bang-seat cat back if and when I have any luck with that. My point being really that it may take a while to get it sorted...as it happens our staish jumped out many years ago and still suffers - his advice was apposite therefore - take the time to get it sorted.

[Lord Harry Flashman]

I'm sorry to hear about your back SLLC; it makes my problem seem simple in comparison. I understand that it is a long term problem but at the same time I find that hard to accept (If you know what I mean?), because I am imaptiant!

I am weary of this epidural pain treatment, as I think pain lets you know what you can and can't do. I think that blocking it will probably lead to unknown injuries, revealed when the blocking wears off. I don't know for sure if that is the case and would appreciate advice from anyone who knows about it. Thanks all for the replys so far.

LHF

[941]

Early spines!

A ruptured disc at 5l meant that I could hardly walk. Chiropractor nearly crippled me for life. Get to Headly court - yes, demand it! They are fantastic and the advice will be realistic. Be prepared for a long haul. It took me 1 year and 3 weeks before I could fly again ( no ejection seats though) but I managed it with physio only and no invasive surgery. Results for surgery are very mixed, so be careful. The best surgeons are not in the military! Also, get walking and swimming. No running, jumping, cycling or lifting, just steady walking. In swimming, no crawl or anything like that, more like just floating around to get relief from the pain (floating in the bath is good as well)! In "late spines" at Headly court the PTI said - 200 situps, 200 stepups, 200 pressups and a 2 mile run, then we will break for a coffee at 1100 - and I could do it!!! An unbelieveable prospect for the cripple that had arrived there a year earlier. Now years later I get the odd tweak if I do something really stupid but I ski, play tennis, ramble for miles and dig the garden (very carefully). Courage, my Lord, there is a light at the end of the pain filled tunnel.

[hippocrates]

You may find the patient info section of this site useful.
Welcome to BASS.ac.uk
Knowledge is power.
The spinal surgeons at QMC Notingham have a vast experience of spinal problems relating to fast jet flying and ejection.

[Pontius Navigator]

Originally Posted by 941

get walking and swimming. No running, jumping, cycling or lifting, just steady walking. In swimming, no crawl or anything like that, more like just floating around to get relief from the pain (floating in the bath is good as well)!

Very true. Best buy we made was £500 for an above ground pool 16x10 and 3 feet deep. Plus £200 for a heater. Warm day just lazy like in a bath. Brilliant.

[nickyjsmith]

Try Graham Brown at the Royal Orthopaedic, he is an orthopedic physician so no knives. He is an ex RAF doc and knows his stuff.
He is a sports injury specialist, i had a back problem that went on for 5 years, saw 4 ortho surgeons and a neuro with no chance of a fix. The only help was a local oesteo but it usally only helped or a few weeks.
This doc diagnosed me correctly and offered a treatment with 90% chance of 100% fix. My problem was ligament damage, he used prolotherapy and after about 9 months it was pretty much back to normal.
Basically its a way of tightening and strenghtening ligament, worth a look anyway.
All the best gents.

Nick.

[icarus sun]

Get mri scan first to see the problem ,then best doctor you can afford.