Author Topic: C5/ 6 disc bulge - any one else suffering  (Read 1659 times)

C5/ 6 disc bulge - any one else suffering
« on: 18 March, 2019, 12:08:00 pm »
Well,  having  thought it  had  gone away  it's come back with a vengeance.

So  back   to  doing chin  tucks, standing up  at work and  doing the other  flexibility exercises.  Does any one else have one of these?
Any  advice on rehab or bike set up....

Re: C5/ 6 disc bulge - any one else suffering
« Reply #1 on: 18 March, 2019, 02:54:48 pm »
I had mine fused 22 years ago, after the disc had ruptured. IIRC, I was told to stand against a wall and push my head and shoulders against it.
Probably similar to a chin tuck, but more for posture.
I still get some pins and needles in the outer two fingers every now and then, but none of the excruciating spike of pain from my neck and into the shoulder blade area.

On a side note: A couple of years later, one of the first things I did when I got internet was Google my name (Andy Lee). Found a guy exactly a year older than me, who had ruptured the same C5/6 in a MTB accident. He was paralysed from the neck down  :-[ Last time I looked he was running a website for people with spinal injuries

Guess I just got lucky

Re: C5/ 6 disc bulge - any one else suffering
« Reply #2 on: 18 March, 2019, 03:34:51 pm »
The  spike of  pain has returned----  but not as bad  as it was 3 or so years  ago.  I thought that age , I am 58 now, had led to the vertebrae  fusing of their own accord. But clearly some thing has  irritated  it.

Did you do  any thing  with you  bike position btw ?

Re: C5/ 6 disc bulge - any one else suffering
« Reply #3 on: 18 March, 2019, 04:40:35 pm »
At the time I had a Spec Rockhopper, did nothing but adjust the saddle height in 3 years. I was back on it 8 weeks after the surgery, going head first over the bars  :facepalm:
11 year gap, and I bought a Cannondale Synapse, which I found too much of a stretch even with shorter stems (in all honesty, it was probably a size too big). I swapped that for a CAADX, but couldn't get comfortable on that either.
Last year, I bought a Genesis Longitude. Bars were swapped for some Jones Loop bars, which needed a little tweaking on the stem clamp to get the most comfortable position, to be honest, They were more for my wrists than anything else
I'm more upright and slower, but never been more comfortable on a bike. I get some stiffness if I stay in one position too long, but that happens with anything not just riding.
I get some crunching and cracking when stretching my neck, but that's been like that as long as I can remember - I was told that the discs either side of the fusion had some wear and tear
Just to add, I had the surgery at 32, I'm 54 now, so not much younger than you. If I needed it again, I wouldn't hesitate

CrazyEnglishTriathlete

  • Miles eaten don't satisfy hunger
  • Chartered accountant in 5 different decades
    • CET Ride Reports and Blogs
Re: C5/ 6 disc bulge - any one else suffering
« Reply #4 on: 19 March, 2019, 02:32:04 pm »
I have a slightly displaced C5, probably long distance cyclist related.  Every September I see the osteopath, who complains about my cycling, jumps on my back to get it back in place, and gives me some exercises, which sorts the problem out until I do a 1000km event the next year.
Eddington Numbers 130 (imperial), 182 (metric) 571 (furlongs)  114 (nautical miles)

Re: C5/ 6 disc bulge - any one else suffering
« Reply #5 on: 19 March, 2019, 05:57:58 pm »
No  raising the bar ?

CrazyEnglishTriathlete

  • Miles eaten don't satisfy hunger
  • Chartered accountant in 5 different decades
    • CET Ride Reports and Blogs
Re: C5/ 6 disc bulge - any one else suffering
« Reply #6 on: 19 March, 2019, 10:39:52 pm »
No  raising the bar ?

My bars on my Roberts bikes have always been quite raised, giving me a more relaxed position and more wind resistance.  Which makes me hugely popular on the front on club runs.  Brick + Outhouse = lots of conversation behind.  My new Enigma Machine has a more aggressive geometry.  I haven't noticed anything yet but its not done more than 300km in a day.
Eddington Numbers 130 (imperial), 182 (metric) 571 (furlongs)  114 (nautical miles)

Re: C5/ 6 disc bulge - any one else suffering
« Reply #7 on: 12 May, 2019, 10:22:28 am »
And back again.... couldn't walk earlier in  the week.  Set off, i fear , by an hours ride on an alloy bike with 25mm tyres on less than smooth roads.

So, what next: higher bars, flat bars,  bigger tyres and suspension ...

Doing all the recommended physio exercises-