Diving after neck surgery

[tracydr]

Ok, doctors make the worst patients, I know, I've heard it many times in the last 5 weeks since my discectomy/fusion/bone graft of C5-6,C6-7 which was complicated by a very bad swan neck deformity. Anyhow, I want to dive!!! I want to go in December to the Baja and my doctor really doesn't know what all is involved in diving so I thought someone here could either yeah or neah me. I am walking 3-4 miles every other day and swimming 45 minutes with a snorkel (so I don't have to lift my head out of the water with the neck brace) 3-4 days a week. I am only allowed to lift 10 pounds for a few more months. Plan to boat dive, not shore dive. What do you think, should I plan this trip or just wait until the next opportunity, maybe April or May? I'm feeling great and wanting to do more than I should everyday but I am following doctor's orders as much as possible.

 

[BillP]

Hi tracydr:

Returning to diving after spinal surgery depends on several factors. Some authorities say return to diving can be considered at 3 months after successful spinal surgery with no physical impairments or residual neurological deficits, others say 4-6 months. And note: that is successful surgery with no physical impairments or neurlogical deficits. DAN does have reports of divers developing spinal DCS after spinal surgery, but there might not be a cause-effect relationship in those divers. So far the concerns about spinal DCS after neck/back surgery seem more theoretical than actual.

There are operational concerns. Will you still have a lifting restriction in December? Will you still be in a neck brace? They might be considered physical impairments. It's pretty darn hard to dive and not lift 10 lbs, but with the right dive op, it can be done. How would mobility and field of view be limited with a neck brace, etc?

You might try contacting DAN for further information. Their contact information can be found at:

http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/contact/

They also have an FAQ on spinal/back surgery at:

http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/faq/faq.asp?faqid=37

Hope this helps,

Bill

 

[tracydr]

Thanks, will be out of the neck brace in three weeks. Very successful surgery, although the surgeon said it was the hardest one he ever did because I had a swan neck deformity that was hard to reduce. However, follow up xrays at 5 weeks show that the reduction has held. He used a much stronger plate and longer screws than he normally would have just to make sure.
It looks like I will have close to full range of motion soon (am driving now without brace and can turn both ways pretty well) and NO Neurologic deficits, which I am thrilled about, as I was losing the strength in my right hand, both hands had numb areas. Pain is greatly improved from pre--surgery.
I will have the lifting restriction for a few more months, I'm thinking I could kind of slither in the water off the platform or put my BC on in the water with someone's help. I was concerned about the spinal DCS. I am a very careful diver and always stick to my computer. I will not go if the conditions look too rough as I'm sure it would make it harder to get in and out of the water with the lifting restriction.

 

[grilla]

It's been years since your post and I was wondering how you made out. If physicians make the worst patients nurses (like me) must run a close second. Right now I'm sitting here less than a week post-op from a anterior cervical discectomy with fusion an internal implementation (bone graft and plate for the non-medical types). No collar or brace. Did you ever contact DAN? Curious as to their input. Anyway, hope you are doing well and if you still subscribe to SB let me know who long you had to sit it out and how it's gone since.

Don