Canuck
David Megginson
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2016
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I've been grounded for nearly two weeks with a herniated disc (lumbar region). I've had back problems for 40 years, since adolescence (and my daughters both inherited it), but I've been managing it well for the past 15 years with physio exercises and due care, and never missing more than a day or two of work when there's a problem. This time, I had three days when I could barely move (getting up from bed was like climbing Mt Everest while someone stabs you repeatedly with a spear), but am starting to become gingerly mobile again now, and just able to sit at a desk for 10 minute stretches to try to catch up on my work backlog.
From what I understand, it can take six weeks for the rupture in the disc lining to fully heal (even after the pain is long gone), so it's probably a bad idea for me to be climbing in and out of a PA-28, pushing it back into its spot, etc. for the rest of 2020 (I might try one more flight with a family member along to help move the plane). After that, my physiotherapist agrees that I need to consider something to move the plane for me, to minimize the risk of another major incident like this, even when I feel great and pain free.
What would people recommend for outdoor use, especially through the winter? I have an electrical outlet at my tie-down spot, but only a small storage shed. A powered towbar? Something bigger? A little lawn tractor with a tarp over it and its engine heater plugged in? I'd be grateful to hear about other people's experience.
From what I understand, it can take six weeks for the rupture in the disc lining to fully heal (even after the pain is long gone), so it's probably a bad idea for me to be climbing in and out of a PA-28, pushing it back into its spot, etc. for the rest of 2020 (I might try one more flight with a family member along to help move the plane). After that, my physiotherapist agrees that I need to consider something to move the plane for me, to minimize the risk of another major incident like this, even when I feel great and pain free.
What would people recommend for outdoor use, especially through the winter? I have an electrical outlet at my tie-down spot, but only a small storage shed. A powered towbar? Something bigger? A little lawn tractor with a tarp over it and its engine heater plugged in? I'd be grateful to hear about other people's experience.
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