My Neurosurgeon said there will be restrictions for one year after surgery (limited lifting, no roller coasters, and nothing that will risk injurying the surgery site until it is completely healed.) I can then do pretty much anything that doesn't cause pain. He said to use common sense, listen to our bodies and that we all get more restrictions as we age because of the natural aging process.

Hello I don't know if any of this was already said or if this may help but i had decompression surgery where they removed a piece of the skull, replacing it with a titanium plate, and also removing one of my upper vertebrate. this was 6 months ago and my personal experience was great. in an idealistic world only one surgery is preformed. i say idealistic because if you develop a leak post surgery they have to go in to fix this. My surgeon said this is unlikely but that it can happen afterwards if someone over exerts themselves. I had my great recovery by following their instructions and by doing this i have had the majority of my symptoms eliminated. after the surgery the limitations they stressed were these:
no lifting things 10 lbs or more for two months as well as no valsalva manuevers. they suggest you take lacitives to prevent you from having strain related to bowl movements.
after this 2 month time period my doctors said to avoid serious strain like heavy weight training and lifting things over 50 lbs because it takes up to a full 3 years for everything to heal. after that they said life in regards to weight limits should go back to normal

you asked about horse back riding and bike riding, i specifically asked about that as well and they said to take the precautions of wearing a helmet but that if that step is taken that it should be safe.

someone before said no roller coasters, i also got that warning. anything that violently whips your head is out of the question because as i was told for many people doing these activities after surgery brings back their symptoms.

also you asked about yoga, i did that before i had my surgery because it was a great way to exercise with putting to much strain on yourself like the strain that push ups or running creates. even after surgery i used a pregnant yoga dvd from net flicks as my recovery exercise. it worked great as a way to get mobility and strength back into that area with out straining it out to much. i absolutely suggest this!

also as far as worrying about having to watch how you exercise in the future i wouldn't put to much concern into it. at 4 months out i could hike, run, bike, and swim for miles at a time. i even go to the gym to mountain climb with no real problems so long as the wall isn't one of those extreme climbing upside down walls which i find puts alot of stress on your body. overall i say if you were active before you should be able to get back to an active lifestyle afterwards it just will take some time and patients as you ease into it.

hope this helps and good luck

Hi all,

I am a new user and I would like to ask some questions. I have been diagnosed with chiari malformation in 2015. I am not having severe symptoms, headaches, sometimes a buzzing sound in my ears and neck pain. All these are not experienced daily but neither occasional. Three neurosurgeons are suggesting to opt for surgery yet I have to take the final decision... So I am now totally confused since symptoms are not so bad but there is a chance to get new symptoms as time goes by.