|
(Return to Table of Contents)
Horseback Riding
Special comments apply to horseback riding following neck surgery. Anterior fusion patients should generally wait eight to twelve weeks before riding, and posterior fusion patients should wait about eight weeks.
If you ride a horse in a hunter or hunter/jumper mode, you will find that the necessary neck extension may be quite uncomfortable. Patients who ride in this mode following surgery often complain of a headache along the back of the neck into the base of the skull. Therefore, this style of horseback riding should be limited at first and increase in duration only as the patient’s comfort dictates.
Riding in a more upright manner, as in Western riding, is generally more comfortable. Gallop or canter gaits are generally more comfortable than jog or trot gaits. Riders who sit vertically may wish to limit their time spent in a jog or trot mode. All riders should use some device, such as an Implus pad in the saddle, to reduce impact that carries upward in the spine to the neck.
Tennis
Tennis can be resumed when the patient feels comfortable. Of particular concern here is the serve. The service may be quite uncomfortable because of the necessity not only of neck extension, but also because of the need for rotation that helps to properly execute a serve. Therefore, patients who wish to return to tennis early may consider the drop-ball service in which the ball is dropped on to the court and hit as it bounces upward. This may be a much more comfortable form of service for the first weeks. Generally, posterior surgery patients should wait eight weeks before gradually returning to the sport, andanterior fusion patients should wait ten to twelve weeks.
Bicycle Riding
The problem with neck extension also applies to bicycle riding. We suggest that patients elevate the handlebars of their bicycle slightly to reduce the amount of neck extension required. Bicycle riders should remember that neck extension will produce neck stiffness. They will also have the problem of fatiguing easily when they first start riding their bikes. We do encourage bike riding, but feel that this should be performed either on a stationary bike or on relatively smooth roads. Save the mountain biking for after your final clearance has been given by your surgeon. And of course, you should wear a helmet when riding your bike.
|
