Incapacitation

[OzBirdy]

The only thing thats bothered me as I get older is loosen control while up there through sum sort of incapacitation.

 

It happened a coupla days ago.

 

Was fat n happy, just cruisen, wen for no reason at all, POP, my back.

 

Iv had issues lately with the spine, but never thought sumthn as relaxing as flying would pop me back out.

 

One of the ribs that hinges to the spine between the blades decided I was too comfortable just sittn there.

 

Was only bout 20 mins from where I was headed so I just humped it.

 

Couldn't turn me head, could only breath shallow, and found out wen I attempted to land, my left arm wouldn't fully extend either, not without shootn pain out and causen stars to buzz around in broad daylite.

 

Took 10 mins to exit, 2 hours rolln on the ground tryn to breath and wait for the pissedoff nerve to die, so I could try to fly home.

 

Not my happiest day out

 

 

[pmccarthy]

I had a similar problem some years ago in my lower back. It was so debilitating that I once spent a couple of hours lying on a hotel bed and unable to reach the telephone an the bedside table to call for help. Luckily I found out what was causing it, which was impact from an unsprung tractor seat. I fitted a sprung seat and my back got better. It never happened while flying but sometimes made it hard to get in and out of the plane.

 

 

[Nobody]

I am glad you managed to land safely and are here to tell the tale. It isn't hard to imagine that the pain could be such a distraction that you make a simple mistake in the landing with bad consequences. Weren't you worried that it could come back on the flight home?

 

 

[OzBirdy]

Anythns possable Nobody, but it beet walkn the 60 odd Ks home.

 

 

[planesmaker]

Not if you don't arrive

 

 

[terryc]

I am glad you managed to land safely and are here to tell the tale. It isn't hard to imagine that the pain could be such a distraction that you make a simple mistake in the landing with bad consequences. Weren't you worried that it could come back on the flight home?

Hi Nobody, did you submit an incident report to raa

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

...Took 10 mins to exit, 2 hours rolln on the ground tryn to breath and wait for the pissedoff nerve to die...

Glad you made it home, Birdy. Luckily our memory erases most of the pain.

 

I had a similar attack a few years ago, aggravated by a 5 hour drive to Parramatta. By 3am it was totally debilitating. I spent almost an hour getting out of bed, then called an ambulance which took me to Westmead.

 

That's where things got worse. A very sick Asian lady and I were the only patients. We suffered for hours in full view of several very underworked staff members until finally we were approached.

 

I've never seen such disdain for the suffering of others.

 

At dawn I shuffled out and called my wife to come get me. A few days later I finally got to see a doctor in Tamworth who gave me magic pills that killed the pain in 5 minutes. It then took many weeks more suffering to get off the meds.

 

Lots of careful exercise since then seems to have prevented a recurrence. That experience was the best incentive to take better care of my back.

 

 

[facthunter]

For some people the painkillers don't work. I'm one of them. Anyhow it's a blessing in disguise. Painkillers have serious side effects. Operations on your back aren't a permanent fix either. Usually works for a couple of years if that. The best long term is to find movement exercises that suit you, that keep the discs in your back moving. Don't have weight on them when you move and don't lift spare wheels out of car boots or lift stuff the wrong way. Lift and twist is real bad. It's your back and it's the only one you are likely to have, ever. Nev

 

 

[red750]

We suffered for hours in full view of several very underworked staff members until finally we were approached.I've never seen such disdain for the suffering of others.

You're right there OK. I don't know where they got the name Emergency Response. There's never any sign of response, let alone urgency.

 

 

[Nobody]

Hi Nobody, did you submit an incident report to raa

I don't understand, why would I? If it is required it should be up to Ozbirdy to make any reports...

 

 

[spacesailor]

I did my back at work "lift 35ks from the right machine, weigh it, then do the same from the left machine, I lasted 7 years, "Lift and twist is real bad".

 

When the back plays up I get on the inverse machine hanging by the feet, then do soft exercises upside-down.

 

spacesailor

 

 

[Jabiru Phil]

Perhaps in similar circumstances I would have given serious thought to activate my emergency beacon.

 

Assuming I had no mobile coverage.

 

PHIL.

 

 

[Gnarly Gnu]

Glad you are OK now OzBirdy! In most cases (assuming no damage) the best thing is to strengthen your back muscles as these are what holds your spine upright and in place and the best way to do this is with the deadlift! You can do this at any age, takes only minutes and done properly it is safe and can have amazing benefits.

 

 

 

[Yenn]

I would have thought an incident report should have been submitted if it was as serious as you say.

 

 

[spacesailor]

G.G.

 

My doctors all say "Don't lift anything/ Don't push anything, and to my wife's dismay, Don't carry the shopping or push the the Bloodi shopping trolly".

 

Iv'e a spur tickling my spinal chord!, & one push the wrong way, I'll be sitting in my wheel-chair.

 

spacesailor

 

 

[Gnarly Gnu]

That's why I said if there was no damage (meaning injury). But it's also true that most doctors know diddly squat about squats and deadlifts so the default advice tends to be the safest - do nothing / live with the pain. Or have a Panadol.

 

 

[SSCBD]

Incident report is required, and you also made it public. Don't shoot the messenger.

 

 

[skeptic36]

most doctors know diddly squat about squats and deadlifts

It's hard to know who to believe. What are your qualifications in the field Gnarly?

 

 

[Jabiru7252]

Apart from accidents the VAST majority of back problems is caused by carrying a fat gut. Try telling folks that!

 

 

[Gnarly Gnu]

Apart from accidents the VAST majority of back problems is caused by carrying a fat gut.

Yes. Back pain is also frequently associated with poor circulation... can be a sign of atherosclerosis. Both are related to poor (eg western) diet and lack of exercise.

 

 

[spacesailor]

WELL.

 

I didn't have a fat gut, before my collapsed disc, & i didn't have an accident either!.

 

Have to say I've got that fat gut Now, And it gets harder to live with as weight gets higher.

 

Possibly wouldn't be this weight now if I had a goal to aim for.

 

spacesailor

 

 

[dutchroll]

There are a crap-load of suggested causes and risk factors (a few with some evidence behind them) for low back pain and disc degeneration.

 

So many people get it that it's nigh impossible to narrow down any one or two particular reasons why.

 

I had 4 months off early this year with a lumbar disc prolapse that grounded me and didn't respond to anything until I went under the knife for an L4/L5 discectomy due to gradually deteriorating pathology (severe sciatica followed by development of foot-drop which means "surgery is the only thing which will help you now and you better have it sooner rather than later"). Fortunately having a wife who's an orthopaedic surgeon helps you get booked in easily for spinal imaging, and having an orthopaedic spine surgeon who shares your hangar and owns his own warbird helps with getting the operation done too.

 

Being in a job which involves sitting down all day doesn't help either. Compared to lying down, standing up doubles the intra-disc pressure in your spine, and sitting quadruples it. That was shown in studies done overseas on volunteers where they actually measured it. I learned this as he was discussing how he was going to slice my back open.

 

 

[David Isaac]

There are a crap-load of suggested causes and risk factors (a few with some evidence behind them) for low back pain and disc degeneration.So many people get it that it's nigh impossible to narrow down any one or two particular reasons why.

 

I had 4 months off early this year with a lumbar disc prolapse that grounded me and didn't respond to anything until I went under the knife for an L4/L5 discectomy due to gradually deteriorating pathology (severe sciatica followed by development of foot-drop which means "surgery is the only thing which will help you now and you better have it sooner rather than later"). Fortunately having a wife who's an orthopaedic surgeon helps you get booked in easily for spinal imaging, and having an orthopaedic spine surgeon who shares your hangar and owns his own warbird helps with getting the operation done too.

 

Being in a job which involves sitting down all day doesn't help either. Compared to lying down, standing up doubles the intra-disc pressure in your spine, and sitting quadruples it. That was shown in studies done overseas on volunteers where they actually measured it. I learned this as he was discussing how he was going to slice my back open.

Dutch,

Same thing happened to my son in law 41 yrs old, built like a Malley bull and 6'4" tall. My daughter also used her medical associates for immediate scan and subsequent operation through associated ortho surgeon. He also had the drop foot. Real worry when so fit and young. He was an extreme sportsman which likely aggravated the problem. I feel for him greatly as it is likely to limit his recreation.

 

We only get one back.

 

 

[dutchroll]

Absolutely.

 

It was sort of funny in hindsight - my wife actually picked up the foot drop. We were walking through Coles and she was just behind me and said "Hey stop! Do you hear that?" I had no idea what she was talking about. She said "all I can hear while you walk is this slap-slap-slap of your left foot flopping on the ground and you have an irregular gait. Take a walk over there while I watch." So I did that. Then she goes "now try to walk on your heels, both at the same time". Normally with effort you can do this, but my left foot absolutely would not stay on the heel no matter how hard I struggled with it. The right one was no problem.

 

She says "ok so now the disc is impacting the left side nerves so badly that you're rapidly losing any strength in your foot. If it gets worse, you can end up losing bowel and bladder control."

 

Ok....we need to book in for the surgery now!

 

 

[facthunter]

Some people's backs just wear out or are overloaded and damaged. All this can be imaged and viewed. My damage was done when I was in my teens, when I was swimming over 2 miles each day and regularly cycling over 30 miles a day. I stupidly carried heavy truck blocks etcand that damaged lower discs . If you have a damaged back you need special forms of movement rather than muscle strengthening exercises. Spurs etc are a form of arthritis and can pinch nerves. Nev