I use a recumbent bike but I haven't had surgery. You might want to call your Dr's office and ask. Maybe you could use a treadmill. I love my recumbent bike and use it everyday for 30 minutes. I also was given a longstrider which is like cross country skiing. Did you have to wait long before your surgery? Also did you have numbness of your limbs and if so did it go away after surgery? I wiah you a speedy recovery. Maybe someone else will come along and give you some info. Take care. Charry

Yeah, I guess I'll call my Neuro tomorrow. They were closed all last week for Christmas. I was hoping someone on here might know. I can't believe how many people here have so much trouble with their backs.

We don't have the room for a treadmill so that's why I was looking at stationary bikes. Then I read on here about the recumbent and thought that might be a better choice for my spine. Also it sounds like it would be more effective for muscle toning for thighs and abs.

Did I have to wait long? Well, since I went to my current Dr., no maybe 5 months but he wanted me to have some additional tests done. But this all started from a car accident I was in back on 12/13/06. I saw a number of wackos before I got to see my current Dr. So it has been a long, long painful haul. I had horrible low back pain with shooting pain down into my right buttock. It always felt like I had been standing for 100 hours. My pain now is significantly lessened. My spine obviously feels different and is getting used to its new alignment. I'm trying to wean myself off my meds.

Thanks,
EM

Well, I called the NS office and was told it's too soon for me to be doing any kind of bike. Bummer. I'm so stiff today. I wish I could do something to loosen up my back.

EM

time to exercise to get yourself back to as much as you can.
Doing things TOO SOON can cause additional problems that you do not want to entertain.

You need to get the approval of your doctor for ANY type of exercise equipment you intend to use. There is no such thing as a blanket statement that covers all equipment for all people. Many times sale representatives at sporting good shops will say anything to make a sale.

Personally, I can not use a recumbent bike. Between Cervical, Thoracic and Lumbar problems, that piece of equipment can create new problems for me.

At this point (almost 10 years since last surgery), the one piece of equipment that my doctor has approved is the elliptical machine. She even approves that over standard treadmills. But again, this is for me, my current medical situation and my doctor's input

EM
I know you are keen. If you fell off your bike what is the implication at the moment, my view is that any exercise is better than none but you have to be realistic, you have found that walking is problematic and so trying to change to a new strategy, which is good. As has been said do this gradually and the main reason for stopping is setting off too fast in the first place and having unrealistic expectation of yourself and the healing process in relation to time.

I ride a hardtail with extended handlebars, looks rather funny but it works for me, gets my heart rate up, no weight bearing and as you say I increase the resistance as and when over time. Keep trying to find what works for you and work from that, always difficult but dealing with pain means we are developing and adapting every day anyway, so just more tweaking.

Good luck. John