Anyone ever climb with neck arthritis/bulging disc/degenerate disc disease?

It's been 2 years since I was diagnosed and, overall, I'm in decent shape. I still do my PT exercises, eat good foods, and train when my body allows me. I'm just sad that I am 28 years old and already have mild arthritis, a bulging disc, and degenerate disc disease in my neck. Sometimes, like today, my neck becomes so tight that my range of motion is limited. It's more annoying than painful. The thought that this is only going to get worse as I age has me feeling quite down.

I only climb casual routes these days, and only boulder when I know I can climb down. Still, my passion for climbing is at an all-time high.

Does anyone have any of these conditions and call tell me that it's not the end of my climbing career. Even better if you can tell me you're able to live a normal life.

Thanks!

I’m almost 40 and had a ruptured L5-S1 and a bulging L4-L5 with degenerative disc disease. Sciatica was so bad I lost motor function in my right leg, and couldn’t support weight on my toes. 2 and a half years later I just sent my first 5.12 sport route and am really close to my first 11+ trad route. I’m climbing harder than ever. I stay away from bouldering, it tends to aggregate my back whenever I do it.

The key thing is to be diligent with the pt. I found a couple yoga routines that really helped, and did those sometimes twice a day. The key thing is to get strong, and correct bad habits. Nerve pain is the worst I’ve ever experienced, and it wears on you and make you feel like life is bleak. Just know there’s an end in sight and with hard work, and some suffering (it’ll be hard, and painful to push through it) but it can be done, and you can climb.

Just take it slowly, and really work the antagonist muscles. The problem comes from poor posture and muscle imbalances, correct those and you’ll be on your way to relief.

Belayer’s neck.  Everyone has it to some degree. I had an injury that severely damaged the discs C5-6 and C 6-7. I lost the use of my right arm. I was offered surgery right away but stayed with the PT instead. Now I have my arm back. Relentless PT. It’s true about posture and opposing muscle groups. You are right to avoid bouldering falls or even jumping down. But in no way be discouraged because the body wants to be well. Even children are diagnosed with degenerative arthritis, osteoarthritis. Check out mobility programs like The Ready State

Yes I have arthritis in my neck and bone on bone in 2 spots of my neck. I also have degenerative disk disease in my lower spine. For the most part, if I do my stretching and PT exercises, and get regular deep tissue massage, I am painfree. I also see a shiatsu massage person which is painful but useful. My orthopedist recommends using a buckwheat pillow, but I use a Sleep Number pillow for back sleepers that is great. Belay glasses are essential. 

Thank you all for the encouragement and useful responses! It appears I need to be dilegent on my PT. I am mainly working on my neck and trap muscles when it comes to PT, but perhaps I should incorporate shoulder and chest stuff as well?

phylp phylp wrote:

Yes I have arthritis in my neck and bone on bone in 2 spots of my neck. I also have degenerative disk disease in my lower spine. For the most part, if I do my stretching and PT exercises, and get regular deep tissue massage, I am painfree. I also see a shiatsu massage person which is painful but useful. My orthopedist recommends using a buckwheat pillow, but I use a Sleep Number pillow for back sleepers that is great. Belay glasses are essential. 

I am so sorry to hear about your condition, but it's fantastic to hear that you're generally pain free. I need to look into getting a deep tissue massage and another good pillow! 

any older climbers climb without arthritis and god knows what else?..... 

Josh,

It really depends on what your pain tolerance is, and your mental attitude.  I'm 74 and have been dealing with moderate to sometimes severe pain for 30 years, mostly in my lower back.  I have almost constant headaches due to arthritis in my neck. I've been climbing for close to 60 years, and up till a year ago, could generally do 5.10 trad off the coach, but not this year, due to a bad herniated disc last year.

I lifted very heavy objects for 40 years and am paying the price now.

You most likely have many active years ahead of you, but again it all depends on your pain tolerance.  It isn't cancer, or other life threatening issues, but just pain. I did a big wall in Yosemite with my son at 69, but again I was slow due to arthritis, and another long climb, (5.10), in the Wind Rivers with my son-in-law, just 2 years ago, but am calling it quits now, realizing it is not fair to my younger partners.

My lower disc in my back are basically non-existent and no amount of PT will bring them back.  Just accept your limitations and keep dreaming.

Belay glasses will help.

There’s some of me in each of the above posts. Add traumatic injuries to femur and shoulders, to DDD, spinal bulging and mis-alignment, to zigzag deformity and 10 surgeries, including four joint replacements..,.  Soft tissues have been sliced and diced in those repairs, so I’m weaker, not to mention four inches shorter. General anesthesia kills brain cells, so I still climb whenever I can find a trustworthy partner. I even lead funky, chossy trad routes. 

I like having excuses for failing on climbs that I did when I was younger, although I’m tired of rehab and recovery (not the kind you’re thinking). Just don’t remind me that Lynn Hill is only five feet tall!

I had a L4-L5 discectomy in 2008, and terrible sciatica down the right leg, with numbness and tingling, but I'm 54. I also have osteoarthritis in all my leg joints, hips, hands and back/neck. Some days are better than others. Get used to the pain and taking a lot of pain medication. I still work out 3-4 days a week, it helps keep things loosened up.

I would suggest getting a very soft catch rope, and stick to sport climbing.

Dan Daugherty wrote:

I got caught in an arm-in guillotine 

BJJ?

I have bulging discs in my lumbar and have unsuccessfully treated them with PT, stretching, all that stuff. I'm getting stem cell injections next week in 3 discs. It is supposed to be promising.

falling monkey wrote:

I have bulging discs in my lumbar and have unsuccessfully treated them with PT, stretching, all that stuff. I'm getting stem cell injections next week in 3 discs. It is supposed to be promising.

Good luck!  Let us know how you feel after, I am going through a bit of a tough stretch right now myself.  

I will for sure. And I also second belay glasses. I got in a car wreck last year and it fucked my neck up as well. I used to hate them but now belay glasses are a must for me.

Rear car accident left me with a broken C4 - C5 

I still climb (but would rather climb moderates I’m comfortable leading :)

Along with all the other war stories on this thread, I too am a victim of lower chronic lower back pain due to an old disc herniation and bulging disc (L1+2) (L2+L3).. That injury happened over 10 years ago and i still deal with a weaker back.. 

One thing that has changed my life is Foundation Training. Check out foundationtraining.com ... The guy who created the program has all different workouts and exercises depending where youre at with your body and where you want to be.. Ive been practicing for over a year now and it’s brought a huge amount of relief to my lower back and hips.

This may not be the cure all for you but it has done wonders for me. The workouts are quick and set you up for the rest of your day feeling strong/loose. A good friend of mine who broke his back snowboarding suggested this site to me. He had nerve damage in the middle of his back and has the same testimonials.  Good luck man, nerve disc pain is the absolute worst. 

falling monkey wrote:

I have bulging discs in my lumbar and have unsuccessfully treated them with PT, stretching, all that stuff. I'm getting stem cell injections next week in 3 discs. It is supposed to be promising.

Good luck with this and very interested to hear the outcome.  I've done all the above along with multiple injections and nothing works.  Good days I'm fine but I always know a flare up is coming and when they do... good god.  Flare ups are becoming more frequent and violent and good days are less and less.  My Dr said it's time to seriously consider surgery but in my mid-30s I'm not opening that pandoras box yet.  I already have permanent nerve damage so just gonna keep sending it.

I'm very interested in the stem cell injections and I'll literally try anything but surgery.  My Dr. does stem cell injections and PRP but has still been pushing me to see a surgeon so maybe I'm too far gone

V P wrote:

Good luck with this and very interested to hear the outcome.  I've done all the above along with multiple injections and nothing works.  Good days I'm fine but I always know a flare up is coming and when they do... good god.  Flare ups are becoming more frequent and violent and good days are less and less.  My Dr said it's time to seriously consider surgery but in my mid-30s I'm not opening that pandoras box yet.  I already have permanent nerve damage so just gonna keep sending it.

I'm very interested in the stem cell injections and I'll literally try anything but surgery.  My Dr. does stem cell injections and PRP but has still been pushing me to see a surgeon so maybe I'm too far gone

"The surgery" assuming you mean a discectomy is literally the only reason I am above ground today.  The blowout I had was traumatic and left me unable to stand, with searing sciatica down my leg. I had no relief, and I don't tolerate opiates well.  If my doctor wasn't able to remediate that, I would have eaten a bullet. 

Get a good neurologist, and have the surgery if they recommend it. Life saving IMO.

Ruptured C5-6 25 years ago and with PT it healed and I have done well since then. Had somewhat of a relapse this spring, but didn’t affect my climbing grades.  Belay glasses are great, wished we hadn’t these when I had my first injury.  

V P wrote:

Good luck with this and very interested to hear the outcome.  I've done all the above along with multiple injections and nothing works.  Good days I'm fine but I always know a flare up is coming and when they do... good god.  Flare ups are becoming more frequent and violent and good days are less and less.  My Dr said it's time to seriously consider surgery but in my mid-30s I'm not opening that pandoras box yet.  I already have permanent nerve damage so just gonna keep sending it.

I'm very interested in the stem cell injections and I'll literally try anything but surgery.  My Dr. does stem cell injections and PRP but has still been pushing me to see a surgeon so maybe I'm too far gone

I’ll try to post here in a few weeks or months when I feel better, hopefully. I’m 32 and too young for this shit. My doctor told me stem cells are the way to go for discs, not PRP. Dropping a cool $14000 cash so this better work! I also second what someone said about the Foundation workout. YouTube Founder back workout and there is a good 12 minute video. Do it daily if you can and it will help for sure. Clearly not enough to avoid alternative therapies for me though. I’ve done epidural corticosteroid injections in L4 and L5 three times in the last 8 months. I’m pretty desperate for relief. 

falling monkey wrote:

I’ll try to post here in a few weeks or months when I feel better, hopefully. I’m 32 and too young for this shit. My doctor told me stem cells are the way to go for discs, not PRP. Dropping a cool $14000 cash so this better work! I also second what someone said about the Foundation workout. YouTube Founder back workout and there is a good 12 minute video. Do it daily if you can and it will help for sure. Clearly not enough to avoid alternative therapies for me though. I’ve done epidural corticosteroid injections in L4 and L5 three times in the last 8 months. I’m pretty desperate for relief. 

to quote the great Anthony Keidis"...pay your  surgeon very well, to break the spell of aging..."

Go find a good surgeon/neurologist and have them clean out the "crab meat". Keeping your weight down is the next best thing you can do for yourself.