Boating with back pain

No one has suggested that you just suck it up and go fishing, so I'll be the first.
Fishing for mental health.
Inverter, ab work, stretching, moving not resting should help. plus TENS machine for pain management - for physical health.
 
Tubber; My first purchase was a TENS machine. It definitely helps.
I agree that with muscle spasm, sucking it up is a great plan. From all professional advice I have had, worse & permanent damage can be done to a bulging disc that has not yet ruptured. Easy does it until the bulge resolves is the rule.
Trust me... As soon as I hit the "suck it up" phase, I will be out there! Mental health is at stake here.
 
Prfisher said:
Hey folks;
I've been jealously reading the recent reports & with a glimpse of good weather & some decent fish showing up, my frustration level is climbing.
I blew out a disc (while doing the nearly effortless task of hooking up the boat trailer) back in October & have been grounded ever since.
I'm planning to pick up a Shockwave seat module at the Boat Show in February. I also bought a nice used electric winch from another forum member to take that strain out of the equation.
I'm sure I'm not the only old fart with back problems on the forum, so any other tips or suggestions on how to get back on the water would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks. Dan
Click to expand...
Any improvements ?
 
Hey Rod! Thanks for asking.
I've been doing almost everything discussed earlier in this thread & things have improved immensely.
I've been giving myself traction on the new inversion table every day. Between that & a steroid shot 10 days ago, I'm feeling almost good again.
Still taking some meds, but much reduced for the last week or so.
Big bonus today... Bought a Shockwave S5 seat module at Harbour Chandlers booth at the boat show. Then I won a Scotty HP downrigger on a spin the wheel contest there! How cool is that?
Haven't got the OK from my doc for boating yet, but maybe after I see him next week. Fingers crossed.
 
Prfisher said:
Hey folks;
I've been jealously reading the recent reports & with a glimpse of good weather & some decent fish showing up, my frustration level is climbing.
I blew out a disc (while doing the nearly effortless task of hooking up the boat trailer) back in October & have been grounded ever since.
I'm planning to pick up a Shockwave seat module at the Boat Show in February. I also bought a nice used electric winch from another forum member to take that strain out of the equation.
I'm sure I'm not the only old fart with back problems on the forum, so any other tips or suggestions on how to get back on the water would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks. Dan
Click to expand...

Have you considered Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression? Works well for the majority of my patients. I'm a Chiropractor in California and have been treating many with disc bulges/protrusions with this technique for nearly 20 years. I have several colleagues up in Washington using it in their practices. Look up Disc Centers of America for more info!
Best of luck!
Kendell
 
Prfisher said:
Hey Rod! Thanks for asking.
I've been doing almost everything discussed earlier in this thread & things have improved immensely.
I've been giving myself traction on the new inversion table every day. Between that & a steroid shot 10 days ago, I'm feeling almost good again.
Still taking some meds, but much reduced for the last week or so.
Big bonus today... Bought a Shockwave S5 seat module at Harbour Chandlers booth at the boat show. Then I won a Scotty HP downrigger on a spin the wheel contest there! How cool is that?
Haven't got the OK from my doc for boating yet, but maybe after I see him next week. Fingers crossed.
Click to expand...

My table is supposed to arrive this week. Looking forward to giving it a try! Good news that you have gotten some relief....
 
ReelSlim said:
My table is supposed to arrive this week. Looking forward to giving it a try! Good news that you have gotten some relief....
Click to expand...

I don't know or sure, but I believe the inversion table made a big difference in a very short time.
I recommend starting slow. Just a few minutes at a time at a fairly low angle. Then increase time & angle as your tolerance increases.
I hope your results are as positive as mine. Best of luck!
Dan
 
reel doctor said:
Have you considered Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression? Works well for the majority of my patients. I'm a Chiropractor in California and have been treating many with disc bulges/protrusions with this technique for nearly 20 years. I have several colleagues up in Washington using it in their practices. Look up Disc Centers of America for more info!
Best of luck!
Kendell
Click to expand...

Kendell
Thanks for taking the time to tell me about this treatment option. I will definitely check it out.
 
I have been dealing with severe upper back damage and pain for over eight years now which was caused by a 3 inch Plasma cytoma secondary to Multiple Meyeloma (bone marrow cancer). basically the tumor ate away part of two vertebra and a rib in the T3 area and resulted in one of the vertebra collapsing. Unfortunately the bone that is remaining at the tumor site tends to be ruff like a file so movement of tissue adjacent to it cause pain in addition to the general damage and the fact that general activity is known to cause pain with Meyeloma. There was sufficient back damage that they had to do an assessment first to make sure I was not going to end up paralyzed, before they even started the cancer treatment.

I have weened myself off the Morphine prn and other pain killers in recent years and have made the following adaptations that allow me to keep boating and fishing:

Avoid going out in windy high sea state weather. If we do get caught out in it, go slow to limit the pounding and jumping/falling off waves etc. You know the fun stuff you like to do when you are younger.

Don't lift heavy weight or much weight at all for that matter. This one is difficult because I still have a lot of upper body strength from weight/power lifting when I was younger. I never go out in the boat alone now and fish with guys with good backs who can do the heavy work and ***** at me when they see me about to lift something I probably should not.

For Halibut fishing I have a power reel which is a reasonable accommodation when we are anchored up and fishing deep. It saves a lot of wear on my back with all the up and downs from great depth with a two lb ball to check bait and remove dog fish etc. but still allows me to actually play a few Halibut in manual mode and if it gets to much I just hand if off. I also play few big salmon on my boat and let the others play most of them. I have caught more than my share in my life and kind of take the view that its my boat and my experience, local knowledge etc. that contributed in a big way to hooking up that fish and getting it in the boat. I am good with a net and net a lot of salmon, but hold them in the bag and let someone else lift it in the boat, same with traps, anchors etc.

Just want you to know that often it is still possible to boat and fish with a bad back, you just need to determine what accommodations will work for you.
 
Rockfish said:
I have been dealing with severe upper back damage and pain for over eight years now which was caused by a 3 inch Plasma cytoma secondary to Multiple Meyeloma (bone marrow cancer). basically the tumor ate away part of two vertebra and a rib in the T3 area and resulted in one of the vertebra collapsing. Unfortunately the bone that is remaining at the tumor site tends to be ruff like a file so movement of tissue adjacent to it cause pain in addition to the general damage and the fact that general activity is known to cause pain with Meyeloma. There was sufficient back damage that they had to do an assessment first to make sure I was not going to end up paralyzed, before they even started the cancer treatment.

I have weened myself off the Morphine prn and other pain killers in recent years and have made the following adaptations that allow me to keep boating and fishing:

Avoid going out in windy high sea state weather. If we do get caught out in it, go slow to limit the pounding and jumping/falling off waves etc. You know the fun stuff you like to do when you are younger.

Don't lift heavy weight or much weight at all for that matter. This one is difficult because I still have a lot of upper body strength from weight/power lifting when I was younger. I never go out in the boat alone now and fish with guys with good backs who can do the heavy work and ***** at me when they see me about to lift something I probably should not.

For Halibut fishing I have a power reel which is a reasonable accommodation when we are anchored up and fishing deep. It saves a lot of wear on my back with all the up and downs from great depth with a two lb ball to check bait and remove dog fish etc. but still allows me to actually play a few Halibut in manual mode and if it gets to much I just hand if off. I also play few big salmon on my boat and let the others play most of them. I have caught more than my share in my life and kind of take the view that its my boat and my experience, local knowledge etc. that contributed in a big way to hooking up that fish and getting it in the boat. I am good with a net and net a lot of salmon, but hold them in the bag and let someone else lift it in the boat, same with traps, anchors etc.

Just want you to know that often it is still possible to boat and fish with a bad back, you just need to determine what accommodations will work for you.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your post Rockfish. Lots of good info & I really appreciate the encouragement.
Cheers & Keep on Fishin'
 
Been using CBD oil for back pain , couples drops under my tounge every morning, it sure helps me. There is 0.04% THC in the one I use so it does not get you high .
 
I finally got to install my Shockwave s5 seats last season. I have the thicker Bentley River Runner seats as opposed to the stock Corbins.
I would say that they saved a lot of grief. I hardly ate any Aleves and I NEVER had to stand, even in the big water offshore.
Total game changer for sure in my case. I wore a kidney belt as well most days.
 
chromatose007 said:
I finally got to install my Shockwave s5 seats last season. I have the thicker Bentley River Runner seats as opposed to the stock Corbins.
I would say that they saved a lot of grief. I hardly ate any Aleves and I NEVER had to stand, even in the big water offshore.
Total game changer for sure in my case. I wore a kidney belt as well most days.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your comments on the S5. I have high hopes that it will help me this season. With luck, I'll be able to go out next month... If the March winds give us a break this year. Fingers crossed.
 
I’m hoping the S5’s are as good as they say as well. Definitely looking forward to trying them soon. And on another note my inversion table showed up last night.....hoping for some positive results over time as well.
 
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