| It appears I am younger than you (late 20's), but this is my experience. I spent 11 months with extremely challenging back pain and sciatica that started the day after snowboarding with lower back tightness. Luckily I had a doctor that encouraged me to wait a year (a year!) on surgery and the injury resolved 3 weeks before the surgery date. Had I been less patient, I would have been on my 8th doctor/experiment/magic cure and that would have received all the credit. Golf & Baseball - very challenging. Running - Not a problem, which surprised me. I ran the NYC marathon 3 weeks ago and felt better than ever. BUT I can feel a definitive reduction in lower back strength, so I've started spending more time on core exercise. Familiar athletic movements - Totally fine. Basketball, throwing a football, etc all seem to be fine as long as I keep my body under control. Awkward athletic movements - Wrestling, new sports... basically anything awkward that requires twisting is bad. Seems obvious when written like this, but many sports can surprisingly fit the bill (Soccer, Volley ball serves, bowling, archery, etc) Sitting and Sleeping - Every once in a while my SO and I sit down at a restaurant and I have to bail out. There are some chairs that just do not work with my back and trigger sciatica in 10-15 minutes. Very confusing, but luckily she's quite forgiving. |