[robby]

I noticed several of you mention that you are bicycle riders. I have to admit, I was not a bike rider until March-April of this year. I was always a runner, but after so much pain and aggravation in my lower back from running, at the suggestion of my doctor, I switched to riding a bike.

One thing I noticed, before riding, my left leg was so weak, it could barely hold me up and there was so much numbness in the ankle area. I had read many of your posts and many of you stated to stay as active as possible before surgery because it will help during and after surgery. (That was also the advice of my doctor. He said to stay as active as my body would let me.)

I was eager to get out there and do something active again, so I got the bike out, dusted it off, and pushed myself, especially my left leg. It was so hard at first, as my left leg was just so weak. But, the bike riding has helped my leg so much over the last 2-3 months and the riding doesn't seem to put additional pressure or pain on my back. I can't tell you my leg is perfect, but most of the time the pain is gone, and the numbness has lessoned. That leg can also hold my weight again and I don't walk with much of a limp anymore. I am up to about 11 miles now and the leg can still keep up!

So until surgery I will continue to ride and I plan to continue riding after surgery instead of running. It does appear to be the better choice over running, for me at least.