Coach Linda shares how she came back from emergency back surgery in 2022.
In June of 2022 I had a T9-L1 spinal fusion. I thought I’d be laid up for a few months. I honestly thought there was a chance that I’d be able to step up to the start line at Waco 70.3
The truth was, I wouldn’t be doing anything those first few months, except walking very slowly, and only then would I begin a long journey back to my original fitness that’s still ongoing! My doctor repeatedly told me that my high level of activity was instrumental in my healing. I still can’t imagine how bad it would have been otherwise. I couldn’t even tie my own shoes. I wasn’t allowed to bend, lift or twist at all. It was impossible to get anything out of the washing machine.My back hurt when I leaned forward to brush my teeth!
Fast forward to August 2nd, when I began my Physical Therapy journey. It was like starting from zero. I had been walking fairly regularly, up to several miles at a time, but had not really done any other exercises. Everything made me super tired! That first day, we started off with simple leg and arm exercises, and tried some low bridges, unsuccessfully. I started riding my bike on the trainer, very short, slow rides. It wasn’t very comfortable to lean forward, but it was OK once a week.
I went to PT twice a week, and did other exercises and walked on the other days. Each week we added a little more to the routine until I was trying a plank! Bridges with my feet on a yoga ball! Side Planks!
I continued my walking and signed up for the Dallas Half Marathon. My surgeon didn’t give me the go-ahead to start running until December, so I wasn’t exactly trained up for the half, but I went anyway, with his blessing. I did a combination run/walk for the entire race, and even managed to finish before the cutoff time. It wasn’t pretty, but it was SUCH a morale boost for me. My back didn’t hurt most of the day!
I also started back to swim practice a few times in October, and WOW that was really hard. I’ve had to relearn how to position my body to keep my pelvis tucked under, which keeps my back from hurting. November and December saw small improvements, and in January I felt pretty strong in the pool. Unfortunately, I’m working extra hard, and seeing super slow times for me. I know that it will continue to improve, but it’s definitely super frustrating.
January brought with it deadlifting, with the bar only. It was super hard, but under the supervision of my awesome PT, I was able to do 3 sets of 10 that first day.
I have since graduated from physical therapy, and have resumed attending all of my regular workouts. I’m slower in everything I’m doing right now, but the fact is that I’m doing it. I’m swimming, I’m biking, I’m running, I’m weightlifting. I have a long way to go, but I feel great most days! Sure, I still have some back pain, but there’s no comparison to how I felt a year ago.
I’ve signed up for Waco 70.3, and am excited to train for it this year!