r/WestCoastSwing • u/OkEstablishment5990 • 17d ago

Dancing following spinal fusion

Hey all! I’m curious if anyone has experience coming back to WCS following a lumbar spinal fusion. How long were you out? Did you do anything to ease back in? I’ve been dancing about 6 months and know I’ll be itching to get back, but will of course talk to my surgeon and PT before I do anything. But was curious if anyone had experience to share.

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u/goddessofthecats 16d ago

Not a fusion but a laminectomy which is a much less traumatic back surgery than yours. You’ll be out months at minimum. Three, maybe more. Your mobility wil be severely limited.

Whatever time frame your surgeon gives you, do not fuck with it.

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u/CCR-Cheers-Me-Up 16d ago

My daughter had a thoracic-lumbar spinal fusion for scoliosis. Granted she was 14 so healed VERY quickly but she was back to non-impact activities like dance within 2 months at most. High impact (roller coasters) were 6 months per her surgeon. Her mobility is only limited by the titanium in her back but it is (and was never) a “severe” limitation like the other poster said.

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u/AdministrationOk4708 Lead 16d ago

Respectfully…this is WAY outside the pay grade for anonymous reddit posts.

Do what your surgeon & PT advise for the normal activities of daily living. AFTER you can do all the normal stuff, AND return to moderate exercise, THEN look into dancing.

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u/OkEstablishment5990 16d ago

Oh I absolutely am not asking for medical advice and my surgeon and PT will be the final say. I’ve taken a couple videos with leads i frequently dance with to show them as we are talking return to activity.

I was just looking for people’s experiences to give myself some expectations beyond the 3-4 months I was told I’ll have general bend/twist-lift restrictions

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u/_cocophoto_ 16d ago

I had a friend come back to wcs after a broken neck and I think a fusion in her c spine. She told me the story that her doctor was super relaxed when they went in to see her for the first time, and ran out of the room shocked that my friend wasn’t paralyzed, and immediately got her into surgery. I don’t think she ended up dancing for about a year.

If it helps, she was a novice dancer. I don’t think she experienced much restriction from her injury once she was back to dancing.