Hey, guys I am taking a survey to see how many fisherman, out there have bad backs.

starting to get bad. Age 31

I do, It was bad before I started fishing. The rough rides back to weigh in haven't made it any better. I have found that stretching before and during fishing trips help get up and go to work on Monday a lot easier.

Backs OK.. Knee's are shot @ 51

back I'm 37

This survey is for the Texas Back Institute, if you guys have bad backs please let me know, give a post. I want to hear from as many anglers as possible.

+1 at 51 back and knees.

Bad knee all the time...back that acts up when I least expect it, like turning to reach for another beverage...doc says degenerating discs...58.

Bad back, two surgeries in 1990 and 2001. I am 52.

bad ankle has led to back problems, most likely an improper spine alignment. havent had it checked- dont like doctors.

I broke my back on a house fire a year ago and though I will never be back to the way I was I am learning to do most of the things I did before. Guess I qualify as an old fart now too...LOL

If you actually worked for a living then you probably have a bad back.
Mine first went out when I was 18 I'm 52 now & and now I can't stand up casting for more than 1 hour after that I'm up and down and pay for it the next day

Advanced disc degeneration with nerve root damage, and osteoarthritis in my spine and hips. I'm 48.

Bad Back. L4 L5 blown @ age 32,(psyotic nerves pinched-severe pain in both legs) walked crooked and in pain for 2½ years.
Had back surgery in 2003 and have not had any pain since, but i do get really tight in the lower area when fishing on the deck without my butt seat.

No issues with my back due to wave pounding, I do stretch all the time and try to take care of it the best i can, i even drink a mason jar of water everynight just to hydrate the remaining good discs i have.

One for the bad back crew.

It has me sidelined from work and medically retried at 49. Degenerative disk disease, lumbar and thoracic facet syndrome and lumbar and thoracic spondilosis (sp). Of course, I have had type 1 diabestes since March of 1972 and I was told at that time that the doctors would guarantee that I would not live to age 40, so I guess I am in pretty good shape, for the shape I am in.

4 sets of neuratamy zaps, 5 sets of corisone injections and 2 prolotherapy shots. On relafin, skeelaxin and hydracodone as needed to get through the day. Pain is so bad that it rasises my blood sugar up, that affects my eyes (astigmatism) and I am unable to read anything for 5 to 8 hours. Dr. Paul Detwiler (ETMC) is my neurosurgeon and says he will operate, if nothing else works. SO, we toil on and try to avoid surgery. LOL. NOT a good candidate with insulin dependent diabetes for almsot 38 years.

Tight lines, keep safe and good luck.

Thad Rains

I am 37 and it is starting to get bad. I am trim and tall and in good shape. However I am starting to do Core exercises as I do not want major back problems!

To everyone out there with bad backs, I feel your pain. I wish you all the best.

ended up with a bulged disk at age 29 afterrunning cedar creek like a wild man all day in 5 ft waves. chiropractor went ahead and ruptured them for me a few months later trying to "get me back in line". 2 surgeries followed that in the following months (by a doctor who moved out of state a 2 months after my last surgery.) i then went to the texas back institute and visited with them to begin a new relationship. im 35 now and have lots of back problems still, but have not gone back under the knife.

bad back at 38... my wife says I walk like a penguin when it flares up and my friends call me Paw Paw. This getting old s**t sucks.

I have a compression fracture @ L-3.
Herniated disc @ L4-5 that was operated on back in 1995, I was 24 years old. Still have hardware in place.
Man do I hurt when the weather changes, especially when it gets cold and rainy. My wife says that I turn into a grouch.
My sympathy to all those out there dealing with back pain.
I know right where your coming from.

Count me in,had a disk taken out in the 80`s and still fishing.Just carrie a bottle of Advil in boat plus the truck and one at work. 57 with my first knee injury this year .

one ruptured disc, one heriated disc. knees shot, hurt most of the time. this is not from fishing, just life, 51 now have had problems for 20 years.

That would be me. I have been doing physical therapy 3 days a week that helps. Just a chronic problem that I have and will always have I suppose. I am 53.

I had to give up fishing and my boat about 5 years ago because of 2 heriated disc. Had surgery and last year was able to get a new boat and get back at it again. I still have to watch what I do and have trouble fishing more then a couple days in a row.

Back, Within the last year. Currently re-arranging trolling motor pedal to help solve the back pains after a day on the water.

whittled on twice.hurt myself 2 weeks ago.laid up last week. got my D.O. to pop me back in.I will not use a chiroprator. Not a 100% yet but getting close. wanted to fish the BPS open this weekend.But the wife might raise her eye brows on that.I have a new jig color I wanted to throw.

Yep, for about 20 years now.

back is good,but when i fish my neck starts to hurt between my sholder blades.after fishing i'm fine.

i'm 40 be 41 in jan.

when it comes to fishin,..strong like bull - smart like cow.

back, L1-L2.
2 M/C wrecks haven't helped !!

Bad back for about 19 years now. Was laid up a couple of weeks ago for 4 days and doc calls today to go over my X-rays on Friday. I know part of the reason was wearing a helmet, flack vest and 180 rds of 5.56mm to work everyday for 14 years. Desk job for my last 6.7yrs.

46 and counting.

SportFisher

First herniated disk hitting my psyatic nerve at 15. The youngest the doctors had seen at the time. A couple epidurals and a lot of physical therapy and I was fine.
Fast forward 14 years and 7 epidurals later, I needed surgery to repair 3 herniated disks and 2 degenerative.
Now, 4 years later, I am back to golfing, fishing, snow skiing, and the shotgun doesn't hurt so much on the recoils.
Thank you Dr. Peloza!!

Yes, not fishing related.

The less active I am in my everyday life, the better change I have of pulling a muscle in my back while fishing.

Scoliosis. Bad back from day one. 50 years with it.

I can't blame mine on fishing that's for sure, although running across rough lakes at break neck speeds has not helped it over the years. I sure am glad I bought my kitty kat though, cause it does ride nice and never gives me a beating.

I used to have a lot of trouble. I've had two ruptured discs. One in my neck and one in my lumbar. Had two surgeries to fix them. It got a lot better but I still had some problems. Then I married a chiropractor. She adjusts me regularly and now I hardly ever even think about back trouble anymore. Every now and again I wake up a little sore but that's about it.

my whole body aches and im young

+1 on the bad back...keep a large bottle of Advil in the glove box.

Have 3 herniated disks in my lower back at the ripe age of 48. I fish most of the day sitting on my backside.

+1 on that... My Dad used have a saying when I'd complain to him about one body ache or another..

" Son, it's just gonna get worse". LOL He wasn't kidding either.. OUCH...

What is a good matress to sleep on? Pain every day but when I sleep in different beds .hotels sometimes it seems to go away for short periods. I slipped a hunk of plywood under my old matress and the pain changed sides.

My Dad's saying about his bad back is "it's better that the Alternative", that being death.

SportFisher

I have two herniated disks, three steroid injections this year and will start therapy this week and if it doesn't help then a diskectomy in Dec.
I herniated my first one at 28 but had trouble sitting in certain cars at 15.

I have had back surgery (3) times 1973 1984 2008. I still fish but not has much. I have bad c5c6c7 but no surgery at this time.I am 63.

I have broken my back two times and neck once and now am dealing with a bulged and torn disk in my neck(C5 and C6).

best sleep i have ever had, was on a hard sealy futon mattress with a 2" memory foam topper.

I'm 21 and work construction and my back starts to get sore after long days on the water. I can already tell im in for back problems in the future. Going to school at night so i won't have to be hanging pipe all my life.

Interesting read.

I ruptured a disk back in 1978. Live with continuous sciatic pain ... sometimes worse than others. About once or twice a year I am down for 3-4 days to a week with it. No surgery until I start losing function in my leg(s).

I'm 33 and mine's going . I'm an Industrial Electrician and it's a common injury amongst us. I have a burning sensation all of the time in my lower back. Wife's an RN and she's on me all of the time to get it checked but I'm scared of what they'll tell me. Wasn't brought on by fishing but standing on the front deck all day and pounding 3 footers running the lake doesn't help I'm sure.

Back.. Between the Shoulder Blades. Happens while standing or sitting.

Starting to get that way. Age 30. Sure doesn't feel like it did when I was 20!!

Just turned 56, back when I was young and stupid I spent 20 yrs in the beer business hauling kegs around. Used to be able to put a 165lb keg on my shoulder and carry it into a place. Had Reunion Arena, used to put 180-200 kegs a week in there, thought I'd live forever. Now on a cold day you can here me walking from 10' away, knees are shot, ankles feel like 2 pieces of sandpaper being rubbed together, and my back....well I have a hard time bending over and picking up 1 case of beer and straightening up.
Thank God for Advil,Budweiser,and Champion Boats without those I would not be able to make it

+1 on the Champions AND Advil!

Occasionally. Knees more than anything.

I'm 64 had back trouble since old days riding bareback. I have had almost everything done (including Morphine pump which went south) Doctors will not operate says 85% chance it will paralyze me so I just keep on keeping on when I can and when I can't I behave myself. I purchased a hospital bed with remote so I can adjust knees, back etc. and I haven't slept in a recliner since I bought it; just a cheap one nothing fancy except the electric remote. There is a new drug being researched right now, I was on the list to be a canadite but since I have tried the Morphine pump the mfg. would not let me participate. I'll hear when the and if the drug in a implanted pump is gonna work. What ever you do, don't stop trying to get around no matter how much it hurts.
Blessings and prayers for all.

I'm 28 and have 2 spine fusions, T8-T9 and L1-L2. I still fish when the wind is calm.

48 year old fart with lower back pain.L5 is wore out and needs replaced.The other disk look ok. Thanks goodness for budlight and my smooooth riding 521Ranger.

Age 46...one back surgery at 30. Back is awful, but it won't get in the way of my fishing. Like my name says, I'm a "BassAddict".

age 48 back in march 09 started getting num in the fingers and pain in neck sholders arms started getting weak could not even hold a rod and reel my c4 c5 c6 c7 disk were degenerated had surgery sept 3 and doc said i could fishin now still pain in the neck most of the time and on top of that got to have both knees replaced but im going to wait on that then dec 08 had heart sugery cant stand very long just sit and fish but dont go but about fishin bout 2 times a month also have hypertesion stage 2 and angina good luck to all and god bless

Backs OK.. Knee's are shot @ 42

Mine started in 1966 breaking 4 neck vertebrae after falling off a motor scooter. In 1980 I was doing route work stocking non food products in grocery stores, which required a lot of stooping and lifting. I slipped on a wet spot and fell right on my keaster. The doctor ordered 6 weeks of bed rest and pain pills. After that he told me I had degenerative disk disease and wanted to fuse 3 vertebrae in my back.
I went through hell with the first fusion and was not about to let them cut on me again unless I was dieing. He then advised to get a job that did not involve much lifting or bending.
I changed jobs and went to a chiropractor. I thought he was going to kill me but he fixed my back.
After all these years of trying to be very very careful of what physical work I did I am prone to back aches and have a constant small ache which I treat with ibuprofen.
If your back hurts all the time you need to get it looked at.You may not like what the doctor says but going with out treatment may cause more serious problems in the future.

Hey ryanl im glad you started this survey,I did not know there were that many fisherman out there with bad backs.I am trying to get my blood sugar down from getting a steroid shot in my back that raised my blood sugar from 100 to 350,so TBI can operate on mine(L-5),but not having much luck at getting it lowered.I started the Atkin's Diet today, maybe that will help.Diabetic's need to be careful when getting those shots,I am Type 2, and cannot take any more meds than Im taking now per the Dr.,may have to go on insulin, but I hope not.Hang in there, and let me know how your doing.

bad... suffered for years, went out in October 2006, surgery Nov 2006, blew out other side of fixed disc in May 2008, waiting for complete failure again before I go back in for another correction...

weather a definite factor in my attitude for the day.... or hour...

bad knees since I was 10.. first surgery on knee was 1988...

47yo

You got the best in Dr Paul Detwiler. He and the pain doctor next door to him, in last two years, have gotten me nearly pain free, after 35 years of neck and back pain. Next time you see him, tell him Rip said hi and ask him if I get a big bass Christmas Card this year. He sent me a picture of a 9 1/2 as a Christmas Card last year.

As to my spine, C3-C4, C4-C5 & C5-C6 fused. In 07, Dr D cleaned out bone spurs in all of those, which helped tremendously.

L3, L4 & L5 worked on in 08. Dr D removed lamina on those three and cleaned out bone spurs in them and tail bone. Sciatica gone immediately.

Dr Scott Lamb, who is next door to Dr Detwiler, shot me 5 times with cortisone this year, 3 in neck and 2 in back and I'm good to go. Two years ago, could cast about an hour, and my hands were all drawn up and numb. Can cast all day now. Did loose a lot of my balance through all this, so can't stand up on deck anymore, will fall in lake and one time was enough.

Good luck Thad, you're in good hands.

Two surgeries. 10 years apart. Second one fixed it 80 %.

Hey Guys,

This seems to be a common problem with fishermen these days, and until recently I thought I would be headed down the same path. I was introduced to a new style of shoe that is absolutely great for your back and posture.

http://www.zcoil.com/index.php

They look stupid, I'll admit that, but wear them for one week and you won't believe how much better your feet, knees, and back feel.

I know numerous bass pro's who have bad backs but I'm guessing many are from weak family history issues.

I have pounded my back.
I used to put in garage doors and fireplace inserts. Back then most garage doors used stretch springs so once you laid the track you would have to lift the door to hook up the springs. They weighed over 100 lbs but the weight goes down as the door comes up.
Fireplace inserts weighed from just under 200 lbs to 250. I carried hundreds, maybe thousands into houses and up to second and third story apartments while they were being built. Most people would cringe seeing this but I've lifted hundreds from off the trailer and onto second levels when there were no stairs built. The ones I carried up stairs were carried on my back.

While fishing I've pounded it running whatever water was there in my younger days. I've been too many times to remember when I could only see the water in front and back and sky up above.


Today I have no back issues. I feel blessed and sometimes beyond lucky that I have avoided any back issues. I am 56 and back injuries in my family are non existent or they didn't tell me about 'em.

Had a fusion of L5-S1 in 11/03 at age 34. No problems since.

Blew the L5 disk - had surgery back in '84 i believe. Not to much back problems except when fishing. Can't fish all day without pain, not in lower back but up around the shoulder blades. Get really tight and I have to take a few minutes to stretch out. I just live with the pain as I really love fishing. I am 64 soon to be 65. Can't give up my favorite things yet.

5 ruptures across between L3-L5 one surgery, been fighing a bad back since I was about 13, I'm 53.

Not that I have, but stay skinny, stay in shape, get a good doctor and learn when surgery is necessary and when it's not.

All I got to say...........it aint easy.

C-6 C-7 lower neck fused Detwiler Tyler, Tx lower back starting to hurt more often.Im pretty tall though 6foot4 not looking forward to the pain of being an old man.An im still fairly young 36!!!LOL

Yellow Magic and I feel the same pain. Also been an Electrician all my life had'nt worn tools in several yrs but will be 40 in a couple of weeks and have the same burn all the time seems like in my lower back. Hate Doctors and scared to go see what could be wrong.......Only time I have ever been to the docter is when I was caried in an ambulance or care flight...

+1 Ken I was a plumber and also at age 18 damaged my lower back and have suffered with it for 34 years. I am 52 as well. Blew out my left knee racing motocross at 21, had a good surgeon but it is now becoming very painful. I see knee replacement in my near future but will grind it out (literally) until totally needed. I do not use pain killers other than Advil and BC Powders, the pain killers are way to addicting.

Looks like there is a lot of us on here.

definately a bad back, knees are starting to go.
But the newest pains are the joints in my fingers which seem to act up more after fishing all day

1994 Rear ended by load of drunks. Fused at C6-7
Laminectomy 2X 1999 & 2005
2001 Fused C2-3 & C3-4
2003 Fused C4-5 &C5-6
2004 Three screws placed in R. Hip Broke it Snow Skiing (Yea, I know)

I can stand all day in the boat and just finished four straight days fishing a practice period and tournament.
I'm 60 and have no plans to slow up.

I pay the price afterwards.

Medications are too many to list, but it gets me by.

+1 for bad back 30years old
fractured L1, L2, L3 with degenerated disc in 1999
herniated L4and L5 in January of '09.
had numurous cortizone injections and decomprosion therapy with little to no sucess. The best thing that has helped me outside celebrex is to keep my weight down and to do core-strengthing exercices as well as stretching.
knees and shoulders not much better than back.
Strike all the injuries to riding bucking horses for 10 years-takes a toll on your body.

Fishing related? I blew my back out carrying my Triton from the trailer to the lake. Then I learned what a boat ramp was.

Been fighting a job related back injury since '84. 14 surgeries later I finally feel great and can fish all day with little pain. Now I have a d@#$% bad knee that I just had replaced and am still fishing.
Can't keep a good fisherman down!!!
Good luck to all that have those back problems. I finally found an outstanding Dr that has fixed 99% of the back.

30 years of oilfield service work need I say more

I messed up my back riding rough water and resulted in a back operation 15 years ago. I now carry a 8" cushion with me any time I'm in the boat. It makes a world of difference even though the newer boats have much better seats. The other thing is GET a recessed foot pedal. Sooner or later all boats should have hydraulic seats and I don't know how many backs need to get screwed up before it happens. Four inches of foam over a plywood board isn't a very good shock absorber. Maybe some law suits would speed it up, hmmm.

bad back at 24. man the 2 and 3 days kill my back. i had to get a prescription to help out.

Bad back due to three lumbar ruptured discs.
Back fusion, accident post-op = worse back, re-operation
Now with numbness in hands and feet
Took five years daily re-hab to be able to walk, fish, etc.
Now medically retired, sitting incredibly painful.
On pain patches, pills. When I have to sit in boat, I use a boat bumper as a shock-absorber cushion under my seat.
Have to sit to fish and run trolling motor due to foot drop (nerve damage). Have something called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome/Failed Back Surgery Syndrome. Medically retired/disabled at age 43. I'm 48 now and still have to do physical therapy daily.

Yes bad back.Never had surgery but it gets bad enough that Iam down for days at times.Seemed worse when I was fishing center console alot. Iam 51.

was in a car accident when i was 12 and had back problems since then.. it has gotten a lot better though. Chiropractor really helped me.

Yep, bad back, shoulder and hip. Dang those dirt bikes, who would have known they are not good to fly off cliffs. After a few surgery's and a bunch of screws and a steel plate I keep on keep'n on..