Lumbar issues a coincindence or related to our hobby?

[Dug]

This is for the older guys that have been in the hobby for a while. I am 58 years old and currently sidelined and awaiting an appointment with a spine specialist. This all spiked up about a month ago when I had spent 4 hours in morning high heat and humidity detecting. I had hydrated well before I went out, during, and afterwards. About three hours after I returned home I was hit with horrendous hamstring cramps in both legs as if it was the result of heat cramps. The right leg recovered after heating pad use, but the left thigh retained a burning stabbing pain and I noticed an ache in my lower back. I still have the left thigh lower back pain and have lost feeling in the front and sides of my left thigh. An MRI indicates I have arthritis as well as bulging discs at L3-L4 and L4-L5. Other than a few minor lower back spasms from incorrect lifting during my lifetime I have never had back problems. I was in the Marine Corps for 30 years so I have led an active lifestyle most of my life and have remained active since retiring with a full time "on my feet job", light weight lifting 3 times a week and detecting or fishing on the weekends. I have been metal detecting for 17 years now and this medical problem has caught me by surprise.

I am curious as to how many in our hobby have experienced the same medical issues that I do and if there is any correlation to our hobby and the back problems. If there was, my suspicision is that it is a result of the bending over at the waist and digging as opposed to the swinging the coil. I learned a long time ago to properly extend the detector so that the coil was slightly in front of my toes while standing straight up to avoid a stooped posture.

For those that have had similar lumbar problems, what have you done to resolve them in order to return to the hobby and what changes have you had to make?

Sorry to make this a novel but it is really depressing to go through this and also not know if I will be having to give up a hobby I dearly love.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Diving for Pleasure and Treasure - Grab it through Amazon!

[creskol]

To tell you the truth, I have more back and knee problems than you can shake a stick at, so I don't worry about whether I am going to hurt or not .. pain is a given .. my real concern is how bad it's gonna hurt. I have 3 fused vertebrae in my neck and 3 in my lumbar region. There is an old cartoon in the papers called "Grin and Bear It" .. which is pretty much what I do. One thing I do religiously, though, is take a double dose of Curcumin Complex daily as a natural anti-inflammatory.

 

[Moonrover]

I hear familiar sounds ... Age sort of keeps coming up as a factor. For me, metal detecting (the slight leaning and off balance strain) has to be taken in moderation. My upper back has seen better days, specifically BEFORE a chopper crash in Nam. Compressed vertebrae situation now.

The alternative to the current tired and intermittently painful upper back would be to go vegetable. Resting all the time. The handwriting on the wall there would be "Look at this guy; he will never enjoy life again".

You are doing the right thing brother ... Remain active, vary the activity, do it all in moderation. See you at the beach!! I'll be the guy with a flock of bikini babes hanging around me while I'm trying to metal detect. (I'm also good with day dreaming)

 

[lastleg]

Dug, what you had are warning signs of future spine related problems. Find a highly recommended
neurosurgeon who specializes in lumbar pain. Don't settle for non-specialists, they only cost you
time and money.

 

[Frankn]

Here we go! I am 75. Been detecting since about the 70's. I have had 3 hereaned disc operations. The discs around L4 and L5 are now floating, that is they have been hollowed out and left in place as opposed to fusing which impairs mobility. The back injuries were associated with heavy lifting at work. What it felt like was a hot wire from my back to my knee to my ankle. I could only lay flat or the pain was unbearable. When I got up to max dose on the pain killers, I went for the operation, the first time. The second and third times, I got the operation right away. The last time, the anesthesiologist gave me to much medication and I technically died. A persistent female doctor in the recovry room administered the third shock that brought me back. How do I know? I was watching from the ceiling on the other side of the room. The hospital never informed me of this. A 'friendly' night nurse verified the event happened. Frank...

never more

 

[lastleg]

I had bone mass fusion to fix vertebrea not fully enclosing the disc, which had been slipping out since '65.
Back then they couldn't diagnose the real problem. After operation in '96 I have no more sciatica which is
a killer to endure while you are working.

 

[Frankn]

Dug, what you had are warning signs of future spine related problems. Find a highly recommended
neurosurgeon who specializes in lumbar pain. Don't settle for non-specialists, they only cost you
time and money.

I agree on this. My operations were preformed by the head of neurosurgery at University hospital. Over 25 years since last operation and no pain unless I seriously agitate the situation. I can detect for 8 hours a day with no problem from the back. Frank...
PS. During that time I have built my own house from digging the footers to putting on the roof with no back pain, and I was over 60.

One tough cock

 

[HutSiteDigger]

I think some of the issues if you been doing it for a-while and using those small military shovels. You do lot of bending down and digging with the military shovel. I normally use a medium or long handle shovel when digging it does reduce the bending down a-lot. And if i do bend down I always bend down the proper way. I know over time this can help if you bend down properly while digging. Just wanted to point that out!

 

[Jason in Enid]

It's part of getting old/older. If you think metal detecting is creating problems, go check out the health of people who sit on their ass all day and don't get moving around. Being sedentary creates much, much more mobility issues.

Back pain / joint pain alone is not really of concern. If that pain is felt from the back to other spots such as arms, knees, feet, etc. you MUST get to a doctor. That pain is caused by nerve pressure. Left un-corrected, you can be left with permanent pain, numbness, or paralysis even after surgery.

 

[Rawhide]

I actually started to detect to make me more flexible. Some days I can measure my hunts in minutes before the spasms hit. The act of getting down and then back up again over and over does hurt for a day or two. But I feel better after that for awhile. I try to get out every day. I dont just hunt parks. No operation yet, my first visit to physical therapy ended up in a 2 day stay. Seems my heart had a blockage and Im only putting out about 73% what ever that means. They found some other things wrong too. My doctor sure was red faced, she missed a lot. The day I stop moving I will die. Dont stop swinging guys, its good for you.

 

[Dug]

Thanks for all the input. And good input it was. General consensus is suck it up it's the price of getting old. I guess we are like old automobiles with parts falling off of us as we travel down the road of life.

I am wrestling with Tricare to be seen by a local Spinal Specialists who is on their network instead of being forced to travel to another city to see a general ortho. I just don't know about Tricare sometimes.

Maybe I should look at making some changes of my digging, and yes HutSitedigger I use a military wood handle etool and stoop over at the waist when I dig. Maybe time to move up to a taller one. Also lose some of the gut I have gained since retirement as I read that is a contributor to lumbar issues too.

You all have given me hope and thanks for your time.

 

[lastleg]

I use a long handled garden spade cut down to about 4 ft length but I no longer hunt groomed yards.
Mostly ghosttowns, desert sand and private property with historical sites. I use the small blade shovel
to get back up. Getting old ain't for sissys.

 

[Dirt Fishn Dave]

I have compressed disc problem in my lower back too. I use a wooden hiking staff with a rubber cane tip to help with relieving low back pain. I hold the staff in my left hand and swing my machine in my right. When I get a good signal I lay my detector down and start digging. While bending over, I take up some of the weight by gripping the wooden staff midway down. It also helps a bunch when trying to get back up off the ground. The advantage of a wooden staff verses a metal one is it does not interfere with the detector.

 

[relicmeister]

I have had back issues for a long time, but since metal detecting all the time my back and frankly my health in general, has never been better. I'm 56 and fit.

 

[damiani1]

I am a young guy with no back problems but some days I do get a stiff back. I found that wearing a simple weight lifting belt really helps me out. It keeps me from bending over too much.

 

[NJcigarman]

Aleve!! I am 60 and my left knee is a mess from a sprain in 1975. Three hours on the beach without sitting down I am fine. However when I do sit when I go to move my back kills me along with the knee.

 

[Produce Guy]

Drink pickle juice and or Tonic water for those cramps ,it really works.