diving with some what of a bad back?

[DA Aquamaster]

I reviewed a great deal of research on the subject of back pain and pain management in grad school and in essence, back pain is not a predictor of success or failure - what matters is your motivation. In other words, if you want to do it, you'll find a way to do it and/or put up with any pain involved in doing it.

From a rehab counselor perspective, you need to understand the difference between "My back hurts" and "I am hurting my back". The latter is something you need to avoid, while the former is more or less a normal part of the healing/strenthening process. In fact in some cases, people exacerbate their condition by "guarding" the injury in a manner that results in deconditioning their back and often creating imbalances in the muscles that further exacerbate the injury and the pain involved.

Pain meds are often prescribed to help people get through the pain of regaining strength and mobility in an injured area, but unless the individual actually follows through with the rehab process, they often become deconditioned and dependent on the pain meds. In my experience, may docs really suck at promoting rehab and pain management but are pretty good at handing put meds and in the long term make the problem far worse.

What you do need to understand from the doctor are what are the limits and activities you need to avoid to prevent further damage to your back and how to tell the difference between hurting yourself and just hurting, as again just "hurting" can be a positive sign and part of the rehab process.

As for letting the instructor know. It's a good idea, but understand the average scuba instructor may not know much of anything about back injuries or how to accomodate for them. So inform your instructor but also inform the instuctor what you will be doing to accomodate the injury and or to reduce the strain on your back. For example walking 100 yards from the instructors favorite shady spot to the water with your tank on may not be such a great idea. Wheeling your tank to the quarry and then putting it on in the water might work a lot better for you if you are not yet physically ready to carry a tank significant distances. Alternatively, sidemounting a pair of 40's may make more sense than back mounting an AL 80.

 

[rstofer]

When I first started diving (1988), the young lady I was diving with had just had back surgery. So, I humped both sets of gear. We only did boat diving so it was pretty easy to rig her gear and toss it overboard. She would just gear-up in the water. Same on exit.

I was younger then... Today, my gear weighs over 70#, my back isn't nearly strong enough (64 years old) and I am putting one of my Chiropractor's kids through college. Between lower back strain and sciatica, diving has done nothing to improve my situation. That's because I am stuck doing beach dives. Long hikes from the parking area, struggling with the waves and surge and just the enormous weight makes diving something easy to talk myself out of.

So, if you have a lower back problem and might be thinking about diving in cold water where equipment weight is maximized, you have 3 choices: 1) dive from a boat, 2) drag your gear into the water and don the stuff there or 3) suck it up!

Warm water boat diving would be my recommendation.

Richard

 

[fnfalman]

If your body can't handle the weight of the gear then you throw the gear in the water, jump in THEN don the gear. This technique is being taught in the basic open water course.

 

[gcbryan]

You can do it. You just have to work around it. It's more or less like in the other parts of your life.

The actual techniques may vary depending on where you live and the kind of diving you will be doing.

I live where there is a lot of shore diving available. It's easier to gear up at waist level out of the back of your car than to carry each piece of gear closer to the water. Once it's on your back it's easier to handle for reasonable distances than having to bend over or squat down for donning the gear.

As others have said, just find a way to put the gear on that doesn't actually do any damage to your back. Aching a bit is something that you just have to deal with but once in the water you have less stress on your back than you do on land when you aren't diving so the walk back to the parking area is usually fairly pleasant since you have given your back a break for the duration of the dive.

 

[fnfalman]

As far as transporting gears between boat/dive site and your vehicle, there are all sorts and manners of dollies, carts, cargo container with built-in wheels & handles, dive suitcases with wheels, ad nauseaum.

You must remember that there are many disabled people who are divers. These handicapped people range from missing one foot all the way to quadraplegic. Even blind/deaf people dive.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

1.) Have fun.
2.) Core strengthening and flexibility training, and weight loss if necessary: Just do it.
3.) Employ proper lifting techniques, don't be shy about asking for help with gearing up, getting out of water, etc.
4.) Have fun.... oh, I said that already.

If you are generally able to do "normal activities of daily living" without assistance, are fairly fit, and use good judgement regarding what you can and cannot do, you'll be just fine and have a long and happy scuba career.

Now... go have fun!

Best wishes.

 

[Joe21]

Stay away from lp 120s and 104s there heavy.

 

[vladimir]

thats just it, will I be able to take the ow dive class? I had surgery on my lower back but i still do everyday activity. just got done bowling 3 games. I did not have a fusion on the lower back just some trimming of the disk. once in the water their isn't that much weight on the back right?

To each his own, of course, but I would endure any amount of pain to dive before I resorted to bowling to occupy my leisure time.

 

[Web Monkey]

thats just it, will I be able to take the ow dive class? I had surgery on my lower back but i still do everyday activity. just got done bowling 3 games. I did not have a fusion on the lower back just some trimming of the disk. once in the water their isn't that much weight on the back right?

When you sign up for class, they'll ask you to fill out a form that contains all sorts of medical questions. One or more should ask about back problems.

Checking "yes" (which you should do to the "back problem/surgery" question) will get you a free copy of a medical evaluation that your doctor will need to fill out.

If your doctor thinks you're OK to dive, he'll sign it and you'll be all set.

Nobody on the internet can tell you whether or not the problems you have or had will prevent you from diving.

As for your last question, if your equipment is configured correctly (with a slant towards minimizing back stress), SCUBA diving can be easier on your back than laying in bed watching TV. That's why it's important that your instructor know your condition.

Terry

 

[miketsp]

If you have back problems, stick to warm water boat diving, advise the boat crew & equip and unequip in the water.

Cold water diving will invariably involve a lot of weight on your lower back to compensate your dry suit or a lot of thick neoprene.