By Ester Marsh
for the Salisbury Post
Can you believe that it has almost been one whole year since my neck fusion?!
July 10, 2007 was the day I got my life back. I remember Dr. Adamson saying that Kevin would probably have to “strap me down” after surgery because I was going to feel so much better.
Well, he was right! For our new readers out there, I have been battling a “neck issue” for at least 7 years. Contributing to my bad neck were my high level of Judo competition, which required hard training; horseback riding and jumping (and falling off); and doing high-intensity, high-impact aerobics for 26 years.
My neck is now too straight, with the natural curve gone (actually reversed). I have developed degenerative disc disease from C2 to T1. C6-7 was so severely herniated that surgery was the only option left due to the pain I was experiencing. After surgery on the disc between C6-7, which was fused with a cadaver bone, a plate and four screws, I can only say, thank God, and thank God for Dr. Adamson.
I feel that I can do anything!
Of course that is not true. I still have a neck issue from C2 through C5 and C7-T1. But do I feel I have my life back? Absolutely! I just have to accept some limitations.
I know what some of you are thinking. Limitations? Every time I see her I can’t see a thing wrong with her! Well, when you see me do Zumba, I can go as hard as I want. It focuses on the midsection and legs and leaves my shoulders and neck alone. In this past year I have learned that I cannot lift weights above my shoulders. I cannot do push-ups. I need to stay away from cardio kick-boxing or anything related to punching. I have to watch how much weight I lift.
Now the difficult part is that I can do them at that moment ó it’s afterwards that I pay for doing them. When I perform those exercises I feel fine. By that evening or the next day, I would start aching and thinking, I should not have done that.
Sometimes it would take two weeks for the pain, aching, tingling and numbness to go away. So I started to adjust my workouts. I can Zumba all I want as hard as I want. I can lift weight but I need to stay below my shoulder level. I can challenge my body with heavier weights but not the weights I used to lift with. I can NOT do two or three classes in a row ó which I used to do like it was nothing. Anything repetitive for a long period of time is challenging.
But you know what? My “competition” body served me so well for so long: through grueling hours of judo practice (so many injuries to recover from); constant pushing-it-to-and-beyond-the limits; many championships and lots of wonderful experiences. I am still doing more than most people can do in one day!
Exercise modification and moderation is not a bad thing (that took a long time to sink in) and by exercising the way I do now I feel GREAT!
Actually, I am finally listening to my body ó most of the time. Top competition, over-exercising, over-using your body is not healthy. Granted, inactivity, not exercising, not challenging your body isn’t healthy for you either. If you can find a place in between that works for you, you have got it made. I wouldn’t want you to have to go through a neck fusion before you start listening to your body.
Contact Ester Marsh at 704-636-0111 or emarsh@rowanymca.com