I think the key word is 'intense'. I've known some pretty hard core athletes. When the patient asks if snowshoeing is OK and the Dr. says yes, the Dr. might not realize that they mean for 10 hours with many thousands of feet vertical. Cycling is OK but where the average person thinks about a pleasant ride down the beach, the number of repetitive movements the intense athlete is hundreds OR thousands of times more. If it's a constant, regular workout (like someone who's in the GYM for many hours nearly every day), it's hundreds OF thousand more.
Some of us will be lucky enough to never experience facet problems following ADR. IMHO, the extreme athlete may provoke them. Some of us will be unlucky enough to develop facet problems regardless of our activities. For these people even moderate levels of things like cycling may provoke increased problems.
IMHO, the people who ARE extreme athletes and do generate problems are outliers and their experience has little to do with those of us who don't measure our bike rides in hundreds of miles.
I was somewhat extreme BEFORE my surgeries started. In the years before my accident, I coached 2 soccer teams and play on 2 adult teams as I loved both indoor and outdoor soccer. I also held weekly goalkeeper training sessions so I was on the pitch 6 days/week. At least 2 weekends every month included either skydiving or rock climbing... often both.
I do not begrudge anyone their activities, before OR after spine problems. We all assess our own risks and make our own decisions. The risk of skydiving is not significantly different before or after surgery. You can pack your chute for soft openings and rough landings are extremely rare (for those of us who can fly... some people crash and burn often.)
My lumbar spine and lumbar surgeries would not keep me from jumping. If it were not for my neck and t-spine, I'd have been jumping since my lumbar ADR surgery and unless you are a jumper (who never crash and burns), you have no idea what he risks and parameters are.
All the best,
Mark
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