C5 Spinal Fusion + Diving

[Paul Walker]

Hi All,

Hope you can help, I'm about to have surgery on C5/C6 and am worried about diving in the future. I have read other posts on various forums but dont feel really confident.
I am Trimix qualified and hope to continue relativley deep diving (60m+) once fully fit again. Does any one know of any reasons why this would be prohibitive in terms of bubbles in and around the spine where the vertabra has repaired?

Also, any one know of any decent medical ref I can talk to near Manchester?

Thanks,

Paul.

[Adrian Kelland]

Hi All,

Hope you can help, I'm about to have surgery on C5/C6 and am worried about diving in the future. I have read other posts on various forums but dont feel really confident.
I am Trimix qualified and hope to continue relativley deep diving (60m+) once fully fit again. Does any one know of any reasons why this would be prohibitive in terms of bubbles in and around the spine where the vertabra has repaired?

Also, any one know of any decent medical ref I can talk to near Manchester?

Thanks,

Paul.
Paul,

Have you looked in the list of referees in the link above this thread?

Adrian

[Fiona]

Apart from being a Doctor and having an interest in diving what qualifications does someone need to be a medical referee.

As someone who had a poor experience with a medical referee I wouldn't just go for the one based nearest to me, find out if anyone of them has orthopaedics as a speciality, otherwise I would be looking a talking to one of the Doctors based at the chambers as they must see and therefore must surely have a greater experience.

[Tony Dwyer]

Hi All,

Hope you can help, I'm about to have surgery on C5/C6 and am worried about diving in the future. I have read other posts on various forums but dont feel really confident.
I am Trimix qualified and hope to continue relativley deep diving (60m+) once fully fit again. Does any one know of any reasons why this would be prohibitive in terms of bubbles in and around the spine where the vertabra has repaired?

Also, any one know of any decent medical ref I can talk to near Manchester?

Thanks,

Paul.

Paul

I had exactly the same surgery 28 years ago, following a nasty RTA injury. I had some paralysis on my left side prior to the surgery. I was in a wheelchair for a while.
Five days after the operation I was able to walk from the ward to the car that took me home. The paralysis was gone! Within two months I was running and was pronounced fully recovered after four months.
Since then I have had many HSE Commercial Diver (Part IV restricted) medicals, all of which I passed with no problems. I've had 28 years of excellent health, diving, teaching Judo (though I had to retire from competition), playing squash and Archery. More importantly I was able to watch my kids grow up. I'm still quite fit. :)
On occasion I still get odd sensations in my left hand, but they are not a problem.

I was advised by an eminent diving doctor to restrict my diving to max 35 metres. I have done this for the past 20 years. Prior to that I did some rather deep and naughty :rolleyes: dives (on air). I was told that the actual fusion was not really a problem, since it's bone rather than soft tissue. However, the surgery is rather invasive and there is likely to be some internal scarring. I had some adhesions for a while. Eventually they appeared to disappear, at least in terms of sensation.
For my op they went in through the front, I have an interesting scar to the right of my throat, you can see it in the attached picture.

I hope your op will be as successful as mine and that you will be able to dive as you wish. You really should take advice from a suitably qualified diving doctor.

Best wishes

Tony

[Paul Walker]

Thanks Tony,

Your story makes me feel a little better, glad you are well. Your scar looks like you could get a few stories in the pub!!
I too will be having the operation done from the front but i think there may be some differences in the op itself, apart from the usual plate and screws, the surgeon has reccomended that a material called PEEK be used to fuse rather than the more common bone insert usually taken from your hip.

This is were I am unsure about how good it will fuse in terms of bubble migration.

Fiona makes a valid point in my eyes and I guess I should of made myself clearer. I'm not just looking for my nearest referee but one that may have prior knowledge, any one know of one?

Any hoo, thanks for the replys.

Paul.

[Fiona]

Paul my orthopaedic surgeon at the Alexandra is also a diver although not a BSAC referee because he went down the PADI route, but I can let you have his number if you don't find another recommendation.

I am guessing you would have to pay for a consultation so probably not the cheapest route :)

4 weeks after a double knee replacement he wanted to know if I was back in the water :eek:

[Tony Dwyer]

Thanks Tony,

Your story makes me feel a little better, glad you are well. Your scar looks like you could get a few stories in the pub!!
I too will be having the operation done from the front but i think there may be some differences in the op itself, apart from the usual plate and screws, the surgeon has reccomended that a material called PEEK be used to fuse rather than the more common bone insert usually taken from your hip.

This is were I am unsure about how good it will fuse in terms of bubble migration.

Fiona makes a valid point in my eyes and I guess I should of made myself clearer. I'm not just looking for my nearest referee but one that may have prior knowledge, any one know of one?

Any hoo, thanks for the replys.

Paul.

Paul

Unfortunately the Doctor I was advised by is no longer available. I suggest that you contact the London Hyperbaric Chamber team at Whipps Cross Hospital in Walthamstow. They should be able to direct you to someone suitable.

No plates or screws were used in my surgery. Just a piece of bone taken from my Pelvis (I can still fell the cavity). It was glued in place.

Have a look at

http://www.back.com/back-articles-peek-rod-system.html

Is this what will be used for your op?

[Paul Walker]

Hi Fiona/Tony

F - If you could let me know the contact details then Ill see if its affordable, thank you very much.

T - Similar proceedure but I think it will be a PEEK cage rather than rods but essentially the same (I think). I have just emailed DDRC in Plymouth so with any luck should get some feedback soon.

Should have also mentioned im in sunny Manchester if that helps!!!

I'm guessing the twins will have to stay dusty for a while:rolleyes:

[PeteM]

Paul my orthopaedic surgeon at the Alexandra is also a diver although not a BSAC referee because he went down the PADI route, but I can let you have his number if you don't find another recommendation.

Just to clarify - being a referee has nothing to do with BSAC, the referee system is administered by UK Sports Diving Medic Council (http://www.uksdmc.co.uk/) which is independent and has many PADI members

[Ron Evans]

Hi All,

Hope you can help, I'm about to have surgery on C5/C6 and am worried about diving in the future. I have read other posts on various forums but dont feel really confident.
I am Trimix qualified and hope to continue relativley deep diving (60m+) once fully fit again. Does any one know of any reasons why this would be prohibitive in terms of bubbles in and around the spine where the vertabra has repaired?

Also, any one know of any decent medical ref I can talk to near Manchester?

Thanks,

Paul.

Speak to Tristram Cope in Murrayfield Chamber - he is a trimix diver, and is also a medical referee.

[Maria CM]

Hi Paul,

Tony and I have both had the same operation, fusion of c5 and 6 following injury and paralysis prior with bone taken from pelvic girdle - can still feel the groove. Pelvis hurts more than neck immediately afterwards:) Hope all goes well for you with it.

I've never been told it should restrict my diving but then I only to 45m max anyway.

I suspect you will have to wait a while after surgery to dive again. Mine was done about 15 years before I started diving so I didn't have that problem!

My scar matches Tony and looked really impressive with all the staples in down the pub!

best wishes,

Maria

[Roz]

Speak to Tristram Cope in Murrayfield Chamber - he is a trimix diver, and is also a medical referee.

Tristan did a number of HSE Medicals for me.

Contact info for the North West Emergency Recompression Unit is as follows;

HYPERBARIC MEDICINE
North West Emergency Recompression Unit
Murrayfield Hospital
Holmwood Drive
Heswall
Wirral
CH61 1AU

Tel: 0151 648 8000

Fax: 0151 648 8080

Email: coordinator <at> hyperbaric-medicine.co.uk

http://www.hyperbaric-medicine.co.uk

[Fiona]

Just to clarify - being a referee has nothing to do with BSAC, the referee system is administered by UK Sports Diving Medic Council (http://www.uksdmc.co.uk/) which is independent and has many PADI members

My mistake, my point still stands though you need someone who knows what he is talking about, it was my experience that the one I used did not and I left feeling frightened and worried.

Maybe the list could include any specialities they have.

[rose]

I fractured and dislocated C6&7 in a body surfing incident in January this year. C5,6 & 7 were fused with a rod and screws, and a bone graft from my hip (and yes, the bone graft site hurts more than anything else). I had partial paralysis of my right arm immediately after the accident, but sensation came back fairly quickly and it is now fully functional although I still have tingling in my right thumb and forefinger.

I was cleared to dive 9 weeks after surgery, with the proviso that I didn't lift my gear. My first dive to 23m was a few weeks after, where I kitted up in the water. I can't tell you how satisfying it was to make that dive. The restriction on lifting has since been removed.

My surgeons have placed no depth restrictions on my diving, but I suspect a diving doctor might say otherwise. As someone said above, it's the scar tissue that predisposes one to a higher risk of DCI. As it is, I'll probably limit my depths anyway as I ain't getting any younger...

[Paul Walker]

Thanks guys, for all you help and support, I will follow your advice.

I am seeing the surgeon next week so I would like to go in there armed with a bit of reasoned information for him.

Thanks again,

Paul.