Lying Prone (belly down)

Maria · #1 (**permalink**) 03-23-2007, 03:18 PM

Are those of you who've had ADR able to now lie in any position you'd like comfortably? Sleep w/o pillows under your knees, lie on your stomach w/o waking up with a searing back pain, or back pain that lingers?? How about those who've had a fusion and ADR or just fusion?

I'm so disgusted because in this "am I too bad for surgery" quest, I've been doing plenty w/o back pain, and now yesterday I went to the beach, laid on my stomach a half hour (fell asleep) and woke up with a very pronounced low back pain. And it's been there the rest of the day, all night and drat it, this morning! It sucks!

Usually when lying on the beach prone I'd put a towel roll under my stomach but forgot about it yet I feel the pain is out of proportion w/the length of time I was lying on my stomach.

Partially I think my spine is due for it's bi-annual ESI (usually 3x/yr but WC denying another ESI prob due to upcoming scheduled surgery)...

This is a sickening pain that I hope goes away.. in fact, anything that reminds me of my regular pain is sickening...

I've been so active lately, hardly stopping to do any sitting around, never lying around except at night and taking good walks, even did a bit of rock climbing when in La Jolla.. or rock crawling maybe (my style to not slip/fall)!

I did dance a little yesterday and rock the old hips a bit tho didn't feel anything then.. just after the beach blanket bingo belly down position~

BTW, the beach was lovely yesterday!

mmglobal · #2 (**permalink**) 03-23-2007, 04:03 PM

Maria, before my ADR surgery, I could not lie on my stomach without pillows under my abdomen. (I could, but it generated pain.) It was too much extension. When I had my L5-S1 rupture, I perceived that it was caused by front laying exercises... I even told my PT that he did it! (I wish I could take that back... I really understood so little back then... I went to PT... did the exercises that hurt... got worse... discovered the rupture... I was sure that those exercises caused the rupture.)

After my ADR surgery, I can lay on my stomach without pain, but I'm still not a stomach layer. Extension does not bother me and I can leave my hips on the floor and press to full arm extension without pain. (I just got on the floor and got into a backbend... not comfortable... but not because of lumbar spine... the rest of me is out of shape. I probably have not done a backbend in 20 years.)

If extension is a problem and it's from discogenic pain, ADR will most-likely help, assuming they get the right levels. If it's from facets or other non-discogenic sources... ADR might not help. (It still could, based on restoring better mechanics, but may not.)

Mark

Poncho · #3 (**permalink**) 03-23-2007, 08:04 PM

Hi Maria,

I can now lay on my stomach and sleep now. It took awhile after surgery to get there. However, there are times where it does bother me. So, I just have to adjust positions until comfortable......

After being in pain soooo long, it does trick the brain into thinking "am I bad enough" for surgery again??? I was thinking that way all the way to Europe. But took the leap of faith anyways because the "bottom line" was I was ramped up to 75 mg of methadone a day just prior to surgery - so - yep, I was bad enough.......

JeffreyD · #4 (**permalink**) 03-24-2007, 02:30 AM

Before I had my 3-level ADR, I had a tough time laying on my stomach for any length of time, which wasn't much of an issue because I can't sleep that way anyhow.
Now, I can lay on my stomach easily, for massages, beach, etc.
Hadn't really thought about it before, but that's one more thing I can do that I couldn't before ADR.

God Bless,
Jeff