At what age were you when you first injured your back? I am just curious I guess. I don't think this question has been addressed before and just looking to compare.

I'll go first. I was 30 years old.

I injured my back when I was 21 years old. I'm getting my disc replaced with a Charite at L4-5 this Tuesday, October 4th, by Dr. James Yue. I'm turning 23 on October 27th, so in a sense, I'm getting a Charite for my birthday.

I was 19 -- walking to the door in my college apartment, and I just fell down in a heap. My back just gave out. I was so scared, had no idea why that would happen. Little did I know how bad it would progress in the years to come!

Thank heaven for Charite!!!

-->I was injured during football practice when I was 15 years old.
-->Snow skiing accident at 17. Surgery
-->Motor Vehicle Accident at 19 (not at fault).
-->Motor Vehicle Accident at 23 (not at fault). Surgery

Justin

After years of suffering with a bad back, I was 43 when I ruptured S1-L4.
Dale

This is kind of a fun comparison... My L5/SI was decimated in a physical restraint training exercise when I was 34, just 5 days shy of my 35th birthday (I prefer hurtjay22's birthday present). Prior to the injury I had no back pain or complaints.

Age 21: Lifting boxes incorrectly working in a supermarket warehouse.

Age 26: Tried to lift my gf's paint-jammed window a/all my strength; window didn't move, heard loud pop, and crawled for 2 wks. She was not impressed.

Age 35: Riding bike downhill and saw an ice patch thru snow at a stoplight. Jumped off bike and landed butt hard on ice.

Age 43 Hurt lifting couch up three flights of stairs w/buddy.

Age 50, sitting at computer, foot "fell asleep" and didn't wake up = drop foot. MRI 2 days later - stat.

I had on and off back pain in my 20-40�s nothing very serious

35-broke neck ski accident

41-fall off roof T-12 compression fracture totaled L5-S1 disc

Age 41. No prior history of back problems. Started tae-bo excercises and some gardening one weekend after a dreadfully long winter and tax season. Had minor back ache. 3 days later, bent down to put shoe on, and it shot down my leg - that was the beginning that hasn't yet seen an end.

Age 53, no prior back or neck problems, T-boned by SUV.

Age 18-21 - Heavy labor

Age 27 - herniation w/high pain levels. L5S1 discetomy.

Age 48 - onset of chronic pain

Age 49 - L5S1 ADR

18-35 sports - occasional lower back spasms/sprain

36-present I think it started when I lifted a heavy object while squatting and twisting out of commission for 3 weeks then a couple of years later it started with hip pain and it's just got worse.


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L3-L4 Moderate disc degeneration-A posterior fissure is present. A 4 mm central disc protrusion is noted. Mild hypertrophy of the facet joints. Mild spinal stenosis present,

L4-L5 Severe disc degeneration-A posterior fissure is present. Right paracentral posterior measuring 5 mm. Moderate hypertrophy of the facet joints. Mild spinal stenosis present.

L5-S1 Mild disc degeneration-A right posterolateral fissure is present. Mild 2 mm posterior disc bulge.

46 - no back problems till rear ended in car crash. ruptured C6/7 radiculapathy right side. pain in lower back radiating down right leg.

Hucky

Age 6: Thrown from horse landed on my butt against a tree, knocked unconscious

Age 21: MVA car rolled over three times

Age 31: Fell 15 feet off ladder while painting house.

Age 35: Fell from chair lift at Sun Valley when seat of chair lift broke due to very cold weather.

Age 42: Slipped on pine needles on tennis court, broke coccyx

Age 55: Rear ended while stopped for pedestrian.

Age 58: Onset of severe back pain


Age

34.
Pain while playing racquetball after heavy weight training. Pain resolved about 70% after a few months, then one day at work, my back just "went out"; coulkd not stand, or even move without searing horrible intense PAIN. My back went downhill every year after, bit by bit, until I could not walk and was looking at complete and total disability.
Age 46.......3 level ADR and improving month by month.
Jeff

Early 20s - Horse injury, fell off and on to a rock, cracked vertebra, but seemed to heal and no problems till......
40s, a couple minor horse injuries, but started having my back "going out". Would be in intense pain for 1-2 weeks, then ok.
49 - woke up one nite to go to the bathroom, intense shooting pain down my left leg, could not stand, bend, sit, etc. Discetomy took care of that pain.
49-present - recurring LBP, with radiating pain down leg, Dynesys surgery has seemed to help a lot!

Hurt at work at 23....

Age 15 - Fractured C5, C6 Wrestling in High School

Age 25 - Injured lower back in Car Accident

Age 37 - Lower Back Pain increased, DDD diagnosed L3-4, L5-S1

Age 39 - Fusion L5-S1

Wow, what a response!!! I feel as though I should expand on my case a bit more since everyone else is sharing.

19 yrs old MVC - intermittent back aches for 11 years - didn't think anything of it.

30 yrs old - ruptured disc with semi-emergent micro-d. Had low back pains for 2 months prior, but went away with ibuprofen. This happened suddenly while stooping over to pick up a bottle of ibuprofen (ironically)

32 yrs old - lifting a patient from a cart to CT table. My life as a chronic pain patient began

33 yrs old - endoscopic discectomy - minimal relief of foot pain. Little effect on back pain.

34 yrs old - 2 level ADR (Prodisc) - Still symptomatic at times with pings of sciatica and low back aches. Only take tylenol and ibuprofen at this time.

28 y.o. Work related injury as Nurse in Neurosurgical unit teaching institution

35 y.o. first discectomy L5S1

38 y.o. 2nd discectomy L4 percutaneous/failed

now 51 y.o. and 2 possibly 3 level ADR candidate/scared tho hopeful...

19 years old 8/11/88 auto accident

12/21/89--l3-l4 discetomy

89-04---many rounds of PT, shots, SCS, you name it I tried it.

36 years old--3 level ADR

very intersting read.

No pre accident LBP. Was very physically active. Sports, Hiking and Outdoors...Medium in stature not heavy in no means.

I was 36 when I was in MVA. Hit at very high speed. Had pain all over, including LB but did not settle into real troubles until 3rd month

No sign of real damage - that is - where the damage is today at 43...

PT, injections, physiatry, stabalization, and later at 39 discogram shows up as herniated S1 L5, bulge L5 L4.

39 - Micro Disectomy

39 - Rhizo
Many injections between 36 - 42 yrs age.
Have tried all methods of pain relief.

Cannot stand very long, bend, twist, lots of hip and buttocks pain.

....and it seemed to land in sacro joint. The docs lay claim they can do nothing because nothing shows on film...severe stenosis at S1 L5 bilateral.
Or they are messing me over and telling me it is age not the car MVA.
(My thoughts are that lifting the disc might be of great help i.e. facets, foramen etc)

My location and description sometimes sounds like Luvmysibe.


Thx.

since i was 18 when i grew 9inches in a summer,weakened my spine around L4-L5, then
at 24 i had a spinal tap, where my disc was injected with the dye by mistake and blew out,i had a laminectomy at that level and was in major pain ever since,running from the thought of many fusions like my neurosurgeon said i'd be in for the remainder of my life, that scared the heck out of me til i met Delamarter in 2002, i was 47

age 12 Fell off an above ground pool onto cement

Off and on back pain for the next 35 years

age 40 started working in childare age 3-5

age 44 - Spondylolisthesis diagnosed

Vivian

i was young i believe it was about 22 maybe 23
but didnt go to a medical doctor untill 1990 for my back. thats when a ct scan showed ddd l4 l5
chuck

AGE 20 now 23

I was 34 and never knew what caused my back problems. Had herniated disc, out of work 6 weeks, got better. It progressed over the years to DDD at L5/S1. Had many years of playing hard tennis, bike riding and scuba diving since first occurrence..it all just came to a head this past July. Had Charite surgery last week and am doing well!
Hey, second life (free of back pain) begins at 41, right?
Kim

I was 14, I fell doing a lay up and had my feet knocked out from under me and fell right on my tailbone. I had periodic pain though school, continued with sports, basketball, softball, field hockey and cheerleading with the mind set no pain no gain.
At 26 I had my son. After giving birth my pain went from periodic to severe muscle spasms to severe pain.
After trying everything under the sun and 5 years of being a "pin cushion" waiting for ADR my facets deteriorated leaving me with the option of a 2 level 360 fusion at the age of 34.
I hope my next 20 years are a bit more pain free.
So far, so good!!

Age 38 - was offered a free freezer if I moved it myself. What a mistake that was. http://adrsupport.org/groupee_common.../icon_wink.gif