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My back was severely damaged in the L1, L2, mid and lower vertebrae on a speedboat hitting waves in the north of Colombia Feb 2014. I've never had a problem before but shit happened and I live with a lot of severely degraded discs in my spine.
On some levels trading saved my sanity as when its hurting (you can't just keep taking meds or the liver/kidneys will suffer) I can immerse myself in the charts and it helps me ignore the pain when its bad sometimes. I am hoping to get disc replacements rather than spinal fusion so I must weather the storm until the technology improves.
I don't know if there is much discussion to be had here but as there are several injured/older traders if anyone has ideas
Tip 1: Shoes for back pain.
I'm just posting as I was discussing this with a friend who's wife has lower back disc damage and I thought to mention something that changed my life for the better. I'm in my 40s but I've always been active, triathlons, hiking, the occasional mountain climb and Asics were my shoe of choice for 20 years.
I would every few days on average get a sudden and painful shock as I stepped off too high a curb or something when walking. This would hurt for at least an hour sometimes days.
I switched from good Asics gel shoes to Mizuno Prophecy which are 100% mechanical soles and its been a game changer. (11 months ago now)
The shoes have a lot more suspension travel or cushion to larger shocks relative to the otherwise excellent "gel" or foam Asics (I'm sure others would be similar) which were bottoming out more that I realised.
I'm not saying it has to be Mizuno, they are pricey and likely many brands or types even if its just support for the heel may be better.
This explains the mechanics well, jump to ~2 minutes for the analysis.
The fully mechanical front and back shoes I have had for nearly a year now and have made a massive difference to my quality of life.
The 5 is out now of course. I will say, they (the 4s) were a little slippery on some wet surfaces until they wore in a bit but otherwise no complaints. Oh and you can't really use them on the beach as they squeak with the sand getting into the plastics but ordinary dirt is no problem. I'm looking at maybe Asics DynaFlytes (new model) as an alternative light but allegedly great shock absorption..
Can you help answer these questions from other members on NexusFi?
I am sure you must have researched a good deal of remedies. The only ones that come to mind, excluding consulting neurosurgeons which you must have done, are meditations and acupuncture.
I can't vouch for either's effectiveness, sorry. Just braindumping if it helps.
Cheers Xplorer, I'm ok for the most part. Its been similar to any spinal injury, for the first six months its hard to accept the reality of the injury (AKA the Oh god why me!? feeling) but I'm past all that.
I just do some mental tricks to divert the pain away from my conscious awareness. Trading has been great for this, I get into the mental zone. For many live trading is an ordeal, for me is an escape from one
TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) helps me a lot by locally strengthening back muscles. Basically a physiotherapy given slender-tone if I get badly trapped nerves.
I could be in much worse shape and I have good hope that disc regeneration or replacement will put some spring in my step in the next few years.
I feel your pain, I'm in my late 40's and was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in the L4 and L5 area. Worse, the deterioration has allowed the disk to bulge out and into the sciatic nerve causing some rather unpleasant sensations!
I went to one of the top spine docs in AZ and discussed all kinds of options. We ended up trying injections into the area to block the pain and while the injections themselves hurt pretty bad, the result was I had near elimination of pain for around three months. The effect began to wear off around 90 days or so. Ultimately though, its going to have to be fusion or replacement. My doc told me they can put a hard spacer in there and fuse the spine around it and the pain would go way forever but I'd lose that bit of movement. Which honestly, I don't care about because I've already lost that movement anyway. So getting rid of the pain would be a huge improvement!
My brother had a significant tumor in his right knee area. They did the surgery to remove it but the tumor and surgery to remove it had damaged one of the nerves in his leg. Consequently, he is in constant pain. He went to a pain management clinic and they installed an electronic device in his back that sends what is essentially noise to that nerve and while it doesn't eliminate the pain, it basically distracts the brain from the pain and he is able to function normally. He is a firefighter so his physical capabilities have to be within the acceptable range to keep his job and so far he has passed all those tests just fine. You may consider looking into something like that if available for your condition.
In any event, I hope you find something that works for you. I know what its like to live with chronic pain.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication, Leonardo da Vinci
Most people chose unhappiness over uncertainty, Tim Ferris
Cheers @PandaWarrior!, the feeling is reciprocated.
I've looked at those options and the electronic pain blocker is something I may look at. My doc is not a fan as he correctly points out that in my case the pain is warning me off doing further damage. I trade over 15 hours a day during the week so I'm fairly ok while focused on the task.
I had 75 & 85% breaks in the L1 & L2, less serious in another 6 vertebrae, basically they were smashed to pieces and just a sliver of bone on the left side keeping my spine up. Its healed well thanks to 8 months in bed in a traction device, 23 hours a day. I got amazing screen time during this period! haha.
I've made the decision to build cash while I'm able. I'm trading very well and once I'm solidly financially secure I'll risk the surgery option. Hopefully disc regeneration or synthetic replacement, there are several new meta-materials undergoing trials now which should bear fruit in 3-5 years.
I was going to post about a novel action anti-inflammatory drug I'm starting to test (off label) however.. it might be irresponsible to discuss this until I can confirm a non-placebo action. It is however something that can be taken every day with no liver toxicity. In a couple of months I will know more.
I have a new place being built and I'll have a pool in the living room (converted old cinema). Life is tough in Medellin but I recon being able to walk straight from the trading screens and slide into the pool for a few laps whenever I want will help. Actually it will be an incredible luxury but I think I'm earning it.
Otherwise, I highly recommend looking at the running shoes. The reduction in wear and tear damage is very noticeable so I thought I'd post about it to raise awareness on this point at least.
I am watching the synthetic replacement as well. Hopefully it progresses rather quickly and we can all take advantage of it. In the meantime, we do what we can....I will look into those shoes.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication, Leonardo da Vinci
Most people chose unhappiness over uncertainty, Tim Ferris