Hunting after neck fusion?

[fmrdd0331]

Had two level neck fusion May 9th.  Wondering if anyone had this done and how long until they returned to bow/rifle hunting?  My doc and the pa don't really understand more about recoil than the bow questions. Had to miss turkey season, hopefully be ready for archery.  Considering a 243 for lower  recoil and eventually kids could hunt with it.  If I cant hunt then whats this all about. Any info or suggestions would help. Thanks 

[hard knox]

Well i cant tell you how long it will be before you can hunt with a large caliber rifle as i have not had a fusion thank god but was told 3 years ago that i needed one due to 2 bad disk .Thankfully i got the lazer spine institute to have a look and had lazer surgery and came out of it with a band-aid and was hunting 5 days later .They were amazing to deal with from start to finish including the billing i would recommend to any one i need of neck or back surgery . They will review your mri and give you a quote in 3 to 4 days the were amazing compared to what i deal with at Champlain spine and pain . GOOD LUCK !

[tangledline]

I had a fusion done 27 yrs. ago in the month of Feb. Are you in a neck collar? That collar was my best friend at first ... I was in one for a month I think. That first month was tough but once I got out of the collar things progressed nicely. I hunted that fall and don't recall any problems. I was using an 06 at that time but changed over to a 243 and never looked back. Good Luck!

Edited June 15, 2019 by tangledline
spelling

[C3M]

I am an orthopedic physical therapist. I often work with multi-level fusions. You should be able to establish enough muscular strength and endurance to support the fusion site to allow for hunting if you rehab appropriately. Do not forget the importance of strengthening your shoulders and upper back also.

 

Let me know if I can help

 

-Chris

[fmrdd0331]

I never actually wore a neck collar. The surgeon told me it would set me back with muscle strength in my neck. I tried pt before to try and avoid the or but the damage was done. Im just hoping that in Sept i will be four months post-op and if i could pull my bow back or rifle recoil without damaging the fusion. I dont want to have to do this again if I could avoid it

Edited June 16, 2019 by fmrdd0331

[C3M]

4 months time will help bone healing and assist in the stability of the fusion. However, If you do not challenge the musculature as the support structure around the neck recover can be prolonged. No one wants to go through a revision to the fusion procedure and most do not loosen or fail as long as ample time for recovery is made. PM me if you want further info I work for the U of R at Strong.

[garrymny]

My Dad had neck vertebrae surgery. He's 82. He was worried about recoil. I loaded up some shells with reduced gunpowder. He got got two deer with those loads. 250/3000 Savage with 90 grain Sierra game king hollow points. I used 32 grains of IMR 4320. According to the Sierra manual this gives 2700 fps but I didn't Chrono it.

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[garrymny]

Here's the load

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[garrymny]

For a 243 I would use 85 grain Sierra hollow point game kings. This is what I use in my 243. The game kings are NOT a varmint bullet. I would use the minimum powder grains listed in the manual. For example, the powder I use is IMR 4064. I won't tell you what I use in my full power loads because it is way over max to develop a Chrono verified 3300 FPS. For a reduced load I would use 33 grains of 4064.

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[garrymny]

By the way, my dad's surgery did not heal. The screws holding the cadaver bone apparently did not heal and are loose. My dad decided not to go to through it again. This was two years ago. He is doing ok.

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[tuffishooker]

The 243 will work just fine depending on the type of bullet and bullet placement ! I assume you not be hunting from a tree stand ! My tree standing hunting days are over ; I only will hunt from the ground leave the stands to the young people IMO !

[fmrdd0331]

I’m thinking 243 savage with 100 grain and a recoil pad. Double as varmint gun too. Win win. Then cva optima v2 with 100 grain if needed to still fill tags by the time my hits. Then eventually get back to my 30-06 with recoil pad. Did shoot bow and sight in. Looking forward to season.