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Saddle hunting after Back surgery

barnes said:
Has anyone had back surgery and used saddle in the same year? Would like to hear about the first few hunts went?
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I have had 4 back surgeries and it depends on how long it has been between the surgery and the hunt! Saddle hunting is by far the most comfortable way I have found to hunt since surgery!!! One thing you need to remember is watch sudden movements especially turning it is the worst!!!
 
I am probably going to find out next year...lol

My L5-S1 is like gone. Degenerative disk the vertebrae are smacking into each other gives me numbness and sciatic pain down my right leg.

My L4-L5 has a large herniation giving me sciatic pain down my left leg.

Fun times... trying to hold out to get this season in and I have been trying to find a good doctor that does Artificial disk replacement surgery. I do not want a fusion.
 
enkriss said:
I am probably going to find out next year...lol

My L5-S1 is like gone. Degenerative disk the vertebrae are smacking into each other gives me numbness and sciatic pain down my right leg.

My L4-L5 has a large herniation giving me sciatic pain down my left leg.

Fun times... trying to hold out to get this season in and I have been trying to find a good doctor that does Artificial disk replacement surgery. I do not want a fusion.
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Good thinking cause I had fusion and the vertebrate above the fusion slips then another surgery it SUCKS!!!!!
 
Recurveaholic said:
I have had 4 back surgeries and it depends on how long it has been between the surgery and the hunt! Saddle hunting is by far the most comfortable way I have found to hunt since surgery!!! One thing you need to remember is watch sudden movements especially turning it is the worst!!!
Click to expand...
My surgery is in 2 weeks I don't normally hunt till late October. I'm not sure if this will be enough time.
 
barnes said:
Has anyone had back surgery and used saddle in the same year? Would like to hear about the first few hunts went?
Click to expand...

I can only speak for myself but when I had my back surgery I still wanted to hunt but there was no way I was going up a tree with a fusion surgery a few months back.
I myself waited a few years and let my body tell me when it was time to get back in the tree and Im very glad I did wait.
On a side note back surgery is what got me into saddle hunting because I could no longer set in a stand without pain so I know in the future this will work for you.
I think you know your doctors answer to this question and I would recommend you let your body heal and sit out this year and enjoy ground hunting.
Setting in a saddle is only a small part of hunting at height and I don’t feel you will be ready but everyone is different and I hope you heal much quicker than I did.
Good luck and be safe.


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Treehopper2 said:
I can only speak for myself but when I had my back surgery I still wanted to hunt but there was no way I was going up a tree with a fusion surgery a few months back.
I myself waited a few years and let my body tell me when it was time to get back in the tree and Im very glad I did wait.
On a side note back surgery is what got me into saddle hunting because I could no longer set in a stand without pain so I know in the future this will work for you.
I think you know your doctors answer to this question and I would recommend you let your body heal and sit out this year and enjoy ground hunting.
Setting in a saddle is only a small part of hunting at height and I don’t feel you will be ready but everyone is different and I hope you heal much quicker than I did.
Good luck and be safe.


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A few years? Holy crap!

The Doctor suggested a microdisectomy for my L4-L5 told me 2 weeks light duty and recovery 4-6 weeks.

Fusion he told me is in the future. Didn’t really discuss it.

Why do doctors all push a fusion and like none do the artificial disk replacement? I heard once you start with a fusion the disk above has about 5 years before it will need to be fused and so on...
 
enkriss said:
A few years? Holy crap!

The Doctor suggested a microdisectomy for my L4-L5 told me 2 weeks light duty and recovery 4-6 weeks.

Fusion he told me is in the future. Didn’t really discuss it.

Why do doctors all push a fusion and like none do the artificial disk replacement? I heard once you start with a fusion the disk above has about 5 years before it will need to be fused and so on...
Click to expand...
I thought I had read that replacement wasn't very common in the US and wasn't done much until relatively recently.

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enkriss said:
A few years? Holy crap!

The Doctor suggested a microdisectomy for my L4-L5 told me 2 weeks light duty and recovery 4-6 weeks.

Fusion he told me is in the future. Didn’t really discuss it.

Why do doctors all push a fusion and like none do the artificial disk replacement? I heard once you start with a fusion the disk above has about 5 years before it will need to be fused and so on...
Click to expand...

In my case a fusion was my only option my younger days had caught up to me so my recovery was much longer than some.
To be honest I live to hunt but at that time in my life hunting wasn’t my top priority just getting around was a struggle. I was off work for a year and wondered if I would return to my job or any kind of hunting.
There was no way my body would let me put myself in a dangerous situation it was hurt and knew it and needed time.
Over time I built back the strength and 7 years later I’m still working and climbing trees again so the two years healing was nothing really.
I hope the op has nothing even close to my condition at that time in my life and gets back healthy just listen to your doctor and your body.




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Treehopper2 said:
In my case a fusion was my only option my younger days had caught up to me so my recovery was much longer than some.
To be honest I live to hunt but at that time in my life hunting wasn’t my top priority just getting around was a struggle. I was off work for a year and wondered if I would return to my job or any kind of hunting.
There was no way my body would let me put myself in a dangerous situation it was hurt and knew it and needed time.
Over time I built back the strength and 7 years later I’m still working and climbing trees again so the two years healing was nothing really.
I hope the op has nothing even close to my condition at that time in my life and gets back healthy just listen to your doctor and your body.




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What level was your fusion(s)?
 
Treehopper2 said:
L4/L5


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Any pain still? Do you still have the hardware in place? Are you seeing the disks above and below breaking down at all?

Sorry for the questions. I am just super afraid of surgery. Been dealing with this since 2013.
 
enkriss said:
Any pain still? Do you still have the hardware in place? Are you seeing the disks above and below breaking down at all?

Sorry for the questions. I am just super afraid of surgery. Been dealing with this since 2013.
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“Still in pain” I’ll never be out of pain I’ve just learned what triggers unbearable pain and avoid doing that if possible.
Yes the hardware is still in place I get to keep that setup long term lol
I haven’t noticed any issue with other disk breaking down but I’ve been told it’s common.
Here is the thing with back pain you put off surgery until you can not stand it any more but not to the point your doing more damage.
Get more than one doctors opinion because it’s not always a 100% success story.
You don’t choose back surgery it chooses you.


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I had back surgery on January 8th 2020. I fell 25 feet out of a tree while hunting on January 7th. I had a T12 burst, so the vertebrae broke into several pieces. I now have 2 rods and 8 screws in my back. So now I have 5 vertebrae put together, two above and below the T12.
During my recover, I sewed together a phantom clone, the thread is here on saddle hunter. I sat in it at ground level a month and a half after surgery. It felt comfortable but I still wasn’t ready for hunting. I wouldn’t have been able to endure the walk in or climbing a tree to hunt. I didn’t have stamina built back up yet. It was roughly 3 months after my surgery that I felt somewhat normal to where I could hunt.

hopefully that helps give you a timeline. But talk with hour doctor and surgeon. They are the experts. Most importantly, listen to you body. If it feels like it’s too much, then don’t do it. There are more seasons out there. Plus you could always hunt on the ground if you feelup to it.
 
I had a burst fracture in my back and a shattered pelvic on one side and broken on the other . Arthritis has set in and I'm very sore especially in the morning when I get up. Saddles are the only way I stay somewhat comfortable while hunting.
 
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I'm only 35 and in relatively good shape (185 lbs 6 ft tall) and I've already been through 2 lower back surgeries in the L4/L5 area. The first was a microdiscectomy. It bought me a couple years. Then I went downhill again. 12 years of pain was enough and I gave in with the fusion the second time around. Best decision I ever made. I've been virtually pain free 3 years.

Some comments for those put in the position to make a decision on surgery (particular fusions): 1) Obviously exhaust all options and solutions before considering surgery 2) You always hear from the people who have post-op issues, but you never hear the success stories because those go on living their lives 3) Technology has advanced so much in this field. A spinal fusion 10 years ago is not like a spinal fusion today 4) Most important: The surgery does not fix your problem, it puts you in the position to fix your problem. After surgery, you need to be incredibly diligent with exercise, PT, and stretching. Not temporarily, but for the rest of your life (which is probably a good thing anyways). I have an acquaintance who had spinal fusion 25 years ago and is still pain free even while competing in triathlons every year.

I had the surgery in January and was hunting just fine in Oct. If i was only a few months out from surgery, no way I would climb a tree. Just listen to your dr.
 
I had L5 S1 done a few years ago in July and was out in the sika marsh at the beginning of October hunting. Good luck!
 
I had a disc removal and fusion in 2014 for a T6-T7 herniated disc. No hardware just a plastic cage packed with bone. Unfortunately I have been and always will be in pain due to scar tissue and nerve damage but I hunt. The important thing for me was the procedure returned full function to my legs again so I will take the pain. I just have to be careful of my triggers for pain and know I will take a while after heavy activity to recover. I waited a few years before I started hunting again but that was mainly because we where still trying to improve my condition so I could go back to work but after I had to retire I started hunting again.
 
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