Concept2 Forum

Hello all,
I have been off my C2 D since September 2007 when I was diagnosed with spinal stenosis and spondylolisthesis (shifting of vertebrae). The problem caused me a very significant amount of pain in my right leg. Unfortunately I had to sell my C2.

Fast forward and after a great deal of PT and epidural injections I finally had surgery on March 11th of this year. I am now 11 weeks post surgery and doing great, able to walk for 2 miles with no leg pain.

The question is: has anyone had similar surgery and gone back to rowing/erging? If so, did the doctor okay it?
Thanks in advance for your responses.

Best regards

Sorry, but I left out the surgical details: Laminectomy plus fusion at L4/5.
Best regards

Based on no expert knowledge and minimal relevant experience my advice would be...
Don't go back to the erg. The risk is too great.
However if you do go back, Make sure you have a very strong core. Build up you core before you touch the erg.go very easy for at least 8 months. Make sure your technique is perfect. Sitting up and pivoting from the hips. No curve in the lower back. Use slides and low drag factor.

People mistakenly believe rowing is a low injury sport. It is not. There are a lot of people who hurt themselves rowing. Do you really want to risk re-injuring your back worse?

I'm not a doctor, and even if I were I'd be reluctant to offer concrete advice without knowing a lot more about your situation. Still I should think that >anything< you might try to do on an erg ought to be closely monitored by a rehabilitation therapist who knows something about the kinds of strains you might be inducing. Depending on exactly what was fixed, and where the repairs are, you might well want to reduce the load (drag) as much as possible and perhaps alter your stroke mechanics. However you don't want to introduce new problems in the process....

You might take a look at Drew Ginn's blog: http://drewginn.blogspot.com/ He's proof that it's not impossible to return from back surgery at the highest level. Keeping in mind that every case is going to be different....

Thank you for your responses.

Yes, my gut feeling is that as much as I love(ed) working out on the erg, I do not want to get injured again and it is simply not worth the risk.

I truly am thankful thus far that I can exercise walk again and [u]carefully[/u] work out with weights (light using good technique). I see the doc in about 1 1/2 weeks and I'll see if his original estimate of late-August for getting back on my road bike is still right.


Thanks again and best regards

Do you think that rowing contributed to your spinal problem? If it did or if you believe it did then you probably should not row. If the spinal problem was exacerbated by the rowing but did not cause the problem and if you enjoyed rowing enough to want to resume it then you need to speak with your surgeon and your physical therapist to get their input.

I would think that if you are able to ride a road bike that you would be able to row but obviously you are using your back in a different manner with each these exercises so again you need to confer with your surgeon & PT. Would the erg stress your back or put pressure on your back in a way that is not safe? I would think that the core strength that you build in the ab area using the erg would assist with your back but that is IMHO.

I had a hip resurfacing almost 4 years ago. This is on top of a left knee that has been surgically reconstructed twice. I resumed rowing about 1.5 years after the hip surgery slowly but surely. I now row around 30K per week (3 days per week). I row strapless and barefoot so I don't torque my hip too much and my goal is to get in a good workout which I am able to do each and every time. I realize my limitations but I am happy that I am still able to use the erg. Montanaandy

I'd echo Nav's response. It can be done, but it may not be advisable.
Tim Foster and Drew both won Olympic gold post laminectomy (Drew after two), but the long term prognosis is not sure. Drew was talking at one point regarding cycling as something he could do and do well without much risk, but if he went back and rowed (and he'd win) he might not be able to play with his kids as they grew up.
On the flipside, I've two mates back home who've both had them, and decided even before the surgery it wasn't worth the risk.
If you're sensible about it, and pay a lot of attention to your core work, I'm not sure that there's too much risk, but I'd get in touch with your surgeon - perhaps refer him to the below papers:

http://www.rowperfect.co.uk/news/wp-con ... s-2006.pdf
http://www.rowperfect.com.au/Fixed_vs_Dynamics_Ergo.pdf
http://www.rowingaustralia.com.au/docs/ssm_ergo-use.pdf
https://www.thieme-connect.com/ejournal ... 2003-43273

The first two relate to advice given by Rowing Australia's Sports Science and Medicine co-ordinator regarding ergo protocols and injury advice, the third is quite similar, whilst the fourth examines the increase in spinal range on a one-hour ergo.

They'd seem to indicate that very low rating on the ergo, and also fixed-head ergos, put a high load on the back. Having said that, a lot of Drew's work leading up to Beijing (when he DID get on the ergo) was on a fixed head ergo...

spinal injury, yikes!

I've been blessed in terms of being able to work through my own bad back problems with weights... but I never had problems any where near the severity of yours. in any case, good luck and hope you dont have to give up on the erg completely.