Cycle after back surgery

[gpman]

I am having back surgery (fusion) and would like to know how long I should wait and what would be the risk of doing a cycle after the surgery.

 

[sean taylor]

Why would you cycle if you can't push 100% at the gym??
I would think you would want to concentrate on your back healing and get that all squared away before cycling.

 

[PVSkyHigh]

He probably wants to gain back the lost muscle post surgery.

 

[hamper19]

If you are talking about spinal fusion...from what I've read recovery takes quite a bit of time..

My father is supposed to get it soon and I've been reading up on it. Personally I would say just make sure your diet is clean while "layed up". I mean if you eat well during your recovery period you shouldn't really get fat or lose so much musce imo.

 

[goa1175]

I didn't have fusion, but I did have a lumbar hemi-laminectomy and discetomy (basically removing the herniated portion of the disc). I was competely down for about a month, followed by light activity for a month. Then I was allowed light lifting in the gym for another month. After the 3 month point I was told to be careful, but that I should be able to do anything that didn't cause pain.
I'm able to do every upper body exercise with the exception of low-back specific ones, i.e. hyper-extensions. But I'm good for rows, chins, etc.
As far as muscle loss, I went from a fairly lean 185 down to a very lean 160-165. I kept the diet clean and high in protein (200g and up) but the complete lack of any resistance training for 2 months followed by really light weight for another month really caused some atrophy. I was unbelievably weak when I finally got back to lifting seriously. Some of this is likely due to my genetically high metabolism, as even at 165 I was the heaviest of my entire extended family. And they all eat a good down home farm diet - bacon, sausage, and pan-fried everything!
One I got back in the gym for serious lifts, the weight came back pretty quick, getting up to 175 at the 6 month mark. That's when I couldn't take the frustration anymore and hit up a 4 week PP cycle. Now I'm sitting at a fairly lean 185 with my strength back, one week into PCT.
Why use the PP when I was gaining on my own? What it boils down to is a self-esteem issue. When you look in the mirror and hop on a scale, and you see your hard earned muscle disappearing, it's damn depressing! Then you finally get back in the gym, and you max out at a weight that's a third of what you used to rep with. It just adds to the depression.
So I chose to use PP. So what! It's relatively benign (with proper precautions and PCT), I felt awesome for the first time in more than half a year, and I gained back some of the muscle I had stolen from me.
Spinal fusions are even more difficult to recover from, and I sincerely wish you the best of luck. Take it slow, listen to the doctor, and most of all listen to your body.
I'm not going to recommend running a cycle as soon as I did, but if you choose to do so don't let anyone tell you it's a waste. After the physical and mental pain of surgery, the only person you have to please at the end of the day is yourself.
Best of luck, and I wish you a speedy recovery!

 

[edale3]

gpman, i had disc fragments removed at 33 and then 2 years later i had fusion of l4 and l5 the first surgery recovery was very fast i would say 3 months, the fusion on the other hand was long,it took a good solid 6 months before i could get into the gym, even then it was still painfull but i went anyway, go slow , the recovery time is very important, if you do go to the gym stay away from squats for at least a year and stay away from deadlifts forever (exact words from my doc). the surgery worked for me very well, i could barley even walk prior to it and that was taking 12 advils a day, the pain now (20 months post) is very minimal, for some reson only when i lay on my back in bed after being up and around all day. one last thing if you do cardio stay away from running for a good year, the impact is pretty painful , i found it much more comfortable to do the eliptical. good luck man.

 

[phasar]

I didn't have fusion, but I did have a lumbar hemi-laminectomy and discetomy (basically removing the herniated portion of the disc). I was competely down for about a month, followed by light activity for a month. Then I was allowed light lifting in the gym for another month. After the 3 month point I was told to be careful, but that I should be able to do anything that didn't cause pain.
I'm able to do every upper body exercise with the exception of low-back specific ones, i.e. hyper-extensions. But I'm good for rows, chins, etc.
As far as muscle loss, I went from a fairly lean 185 down to a very lean 160-165. I kept the diet clean and high in protein (200g and up) but the complete lack of any resistance training for 2 months followed by really light weight for another month really caused some atrophy. I was unbelievably weak when I finally got back to lifting seriously. Some of this is likely due to my genetically high metabolism, as even at 165 I was the heaviest of my entire extended family. And they all eat a good down home farm diet - bacon, sausage, and pan-fried everything!
One I got back in the gym for serious lifts, the weight came back pretty quick, getting up to 175 at the 6 month mark. That's when I couldn't take the frustration anymore and hit up a 4 week PP cycle. Now I'm sitting at a fairly lean 185 with my strength back, one week into PCT.
Why use the PP when I was gaining on my own? What it boils down to is a self-esteem issue. When you look in the mirror and hop on a scale, and you see your hard earned muscle disappearing, it's damn depressing! Then you finally get back in the gym, and you max out at a weight that's a third of what you used to rep with. It just adds to the depression.
So I chose to use PP. So what! It's relatively benign (with proper precautions and PCT), I felt awesome for the first time in more than half a year, and I gained back some of the muscle I had stolen from me.
Spinal fusions are even more difficult to recover from, and I sincerely wish you the best of luck. Take it slow, listen to the doctor, and most of all listen to your body.
I'm not going to recommend running a cycle as soon as I did, but if you choose to do so don't let anyone tell you it's a waste. After the physical and mental pain of surgery, the only person you have to please at the end of the day is yourself.
Best of luck, and I wish you a speedy recovery!

well said. :clap2: