Has anyone returned to umpiring or officiating after spinal fusion surgery?

[wolfe_man]

I’m interested to know if anyone has returned to officiating or umpiring after having spinal fusion surgery. If you’ve had serious spine issues that required surgery, I’d like to hear about your experience—specifically, whether you were able to return to officiating once you had recovered, and if you faced any challenges in doing so

Over the past year, I’ve had two laminectomies with spinal fusion—one in my cervical spine (6 level fusion) and one in my lumbar spine (4 level fusion). I’m still recovering and continue to experience some challenges, including occasional balance issues, difficulty walking (I’m not able to run yet), and several neurological symptoms caused by nerves that were pinched and haven’t fully healed. 

 

Despite these challenges, I feel like I’m getting closer to a breakthrough and hope to possibly return to officiating this summer or next year, if it’s safe to do so. My doctor is optimistic and says I’m actually healthier and more protected now with the fusion than I was before surgery. Still, it would mean a lot to hear from those of you who have been through this—your firsthand experiences and advice would be invaluable as I consider my next steps.

 

Thank you in advance.

 

For fun, here’s a couple x-rays showing my new titanium supports!

[Aging_Arbiter]

I have.  However, mine was only 2 levels.  C5-6 and C6-7.  Force 3 mask is my best friend now.

[wolfe_man]

22 minutes ago, Aging_Arbiter said:

I have.  However, mine was only 2 levels.  C5-6 and C6-7.  Force 3 mask is my best friend now.

Do you find it safer due to the springs?  V3?

I was thinking weight, especially lighter, might be best to keep neck from being too worn out.  But I get the springs absorbing the impact versus transferring to the neck also.

[grayhawk]

I have a C5 - T2 fusion after a spinal cord injury that left me paralyzed from the chest down before the surgery. It took me about 2 years to plateau in my recovery. Today, I still have weakness in my right leg, including spasticity and hyper-reflexivity. I can't feel hot/cold/pain from my chest down on the left side. This is called Brown-Seccard syndrome which is where one side of the spinal cord suffers an injury.

I can't run very well, certainly nothing like I could before the injury. But I generally get to where I need to be. Working the plate is actually easier for me than working the bases because except for getting the touch/play back into 1B, or rotating to 3B, there's not as much movement required. I work more 3-man than anything and most of my games are at the JUCO level, though I've worked as high as D2 after my injury.

Given that your whole neck is fused, one of the more difficult things you'll have to adjust to is that your head is most definitely not "on a swivel" anymore. You'll have to turn your shoulders much more while you're running to see touches, pick up the ball in the outfield, etc. Depending on how far back you get with your mobility will determine if you can get back on the field. As far as safety is concerned, my surgeon told me the same thing. My neck is locked in with the fusion. I had a F3 mask but opted for the Nike Ti with Wilson memory foam pads and am glad I did. The F3 is very heavy, and I think my current setup is better since I've taken countless hard shots without feeling a thing, whereas the one hard shot I took in the brief time I used the F3 rung my bell a bit.

I wish you the best in your recovery. It's hard work but as long as you have a positive attitude and give maximum effort, that's all you can do and I bet it will be enough.

[BLarson]

Wow...that's crazy.
@grayhawk amazing recovery...keep on, keeping on

@wolfe_man I wish you nothing but the best on your healing and recovery, and chance to get back out doing what you love.

[Velho]

Taking the 'robot-umps' things a bit literally guys 😁

[wolfe_man]

4 hours ago, grayhawk said:

I have a C5 - T2 fusion after a spinal cord injury that left me paralyzed from the chest down before the surgery. It took me about 2 years to plateau in my recovery. Today, I still have weakness in my right leg, including spasticity and hyper-reflexivity. I can't feel hot/cold/pain from my chest down on the left side. This is called Brown-Seccard syndrome which is where one side of the spinal cord suffers an injury.

I can't run very well, certainly nothing like I could before the injury. But I generally get to where I need to be. Working the plate is actually easier for me than working the bases because except for getting the touch/play back into 1B, or rotating to 3B, there's not as much movement required. I work more 3-man than anything and most of my games are at the JUCO level, though I've worked as high as D2 after my injury.

Given that your whole neck is fused, one of the more difficult things you'll have to adjust to is that your head is most definitely not "on a swivel" anymore. You'll have to turn your shoulders much more while you're running to see touches, pick up the ball in the outfield, etc. Depending on how far back you get with your mobility will determine if you can get back on the field. As far as safety is concerned, my surgeon told me the same thing. My neck is locked in with the fusion. I had a F3 mask but opted for the Nike Ti with Wilson memory foam pads and am glad I did. The F3 is very heavy, and I think my current setup is better since I've taken countless hard shots without feeling a thing, whereas the one hard shot I took in the brief time I used the F3 rung my bell a bit.

I wish you the best in your recovery. It's hard work but as long as you have a positive attitude and give maximum effort, that's all you can do and I bet it will be enough.

Thank you! This is exactly the kind of thing I hoped to hear.

I have the same hot/cold/no sensation except mine is the right side - from the upper chest to the bottom of my right foot, literally splitting right down the middle of my chest. 

I can’t run yet without tripping due to left side lagging a bit and my foot drags, but it’s getting better. 

I’m learning firsthand what people mean when they say that your new job post- fusion is to keep moving and strengthening your core to prevent further issues. It’s literally changed my entire life. I’ve come a long way, but have a good ways to go yet.

I really appreciate you guys sharing. I think one of the hardest parts about having the surgery is that since each person heals differently and has a little different case, there isn’t a lot of useful information to share, so you’re always wondering if you’re where you should be or not. This helps!

[Velho]

2 hours ago, wolfe_man said:

I’m learning firsthand what people mean when they say that your new job post- fusion is to keep moving and strengthening your core to prevent further issues. It’s literally changed my entire life. I’ve come a long way, but have a good ways to go yet.

Happy to see you're on the path to recovery Wolfie.

Know that I'm taking your learnings to heart. Through a combo of working too much and traveling I wasn't moving much and my lower back was in a bad way. I've realized I've got nerve issues that I can't ignore anymore, gotten back to moving enough every single day, and am figuring out the various muscle imbalances. It's got to become a way of daily life forever more. Simple as that.

[grayhawk]

11 hours ago, wolfe_man said:

I really appreciate you guys sharing. I think one of the hardest parts about having the surgery is that since each person heals differently and has a little different case, there isn’t a lot of useful information to share, so you’re always wondering if you’re where you should be or not. This helps!

This is very true. Nobody can tell you what your recovery will be like. Right after my surgery, the doctor gave me a 70% chance to walk again. I was determined to get back on the college baseball field, and I've not only done that, but I also snow ski. Not as well as before, but I'm still doing things that I love to do. Best of luck to you!

[umpstu]

12 hours ago, Velho said:

Happy to see you're on the path to recovery Wolfie.

Know that I'm taking your learnings to heart. Through a combo of working too much and traveling I wasn't moving much and my lower back was in a bad way. I've realized I've got nerve issues that I can't ignore anymore, gotten back to moving enough every single day, and am figuring out the various muscle imbalances. It's got to become a way of daily life forever more. Simple as that.

My fusion is in my lower back. It worked very well and didn't take long to get back on a field. But, over the years the same area has taken to become pained again and I have had to have two more surgeries to have spinal cord stimulators installed and have to balance between that and pain meds to alleviate the pain. Also have had nerves caurterized in the upper and lower area of my back. YMMD. 

Like you, I find not moving that area of my back to contribute to my pain. I try to walk at least 3-5 miles per day. 

[Mussgrass]

This week 6 years ago I was dealing with an intra-dural disc herniation that severely pinched the nerve roots in my L1-L2. My right leg lost function as the week went on. All caused by a sneeze that I tensed up on. I had surgery 1 week after the event. No hardware, just a partial laminotomy to remove bone so they could get the pieces of disc out.

I still have foot drop and weakness in my right leg. But, God is good! I can do almost everything I want to. It took me 2 years to get back on the field. I still can't run fast and I do have some tingling and loss of feeling and function in my leg.

Do all the exercises and work you can. Even if there is some permanent damage you can making the muscles that work as strong as they can be. Know your limits and keep pushing.

[wolfe_man]

1 hour ago, umpstu said:

My fusion is in my lower back. It worked very well and didn't take long to get back on a field. But, over the years the same area has taken to become pained again and I have had to have two more surgeries to have spinal cord stimulators installed and have to balance between that and pain meds to alleviate the pain. Also have had nerves caurterized in the upper and lower area of my back. YMMD. 

Like you, I find not moving that area of my back to contribute to my pain. I try to walk at least 3-5 miles per day. 

Ouch. I'm worried about ASD (adjacent segment disease). The x-rays already mention that the disc above is starting to wear, although they note it can just be normal and not necessarily ASD. 

I'm 47, so I figure I've got a few more surgeries ahead of me, but really hoping not after this last one.  The cervical one healed fast for me, but this lumbar one is rough and really taking all I can give it.  I'm still rocking Sketcher's slip-on's because it hurts too much to try to bend over to tie my shoes.  I'm finally starting to feel less pain and more freedom of movement at almost 12 months out (3/31 is a year). 

Fully agree on the moving too.  The more I move the better I feel generally. 

 

[wolfe_man]

On 3/12/2026 at 12:49 PM, Mussgrass said:

This week 6 years ago I was dealing with an intra-dural disc herniation that severely pinched the nerve roots in my L1-L2. My right leg lost function as the week went on. All caused by a sneeze that I tensed up on. I had surgery 1 week after the event. No hardware, just a partial laminotomy to remove bone so they could get the pieces of disc out.

I still have foot drop and weakness in my right leg. But, God is good! I can do almost everything I want to. It took me 2 years to get back on the field. I still can't run fast and I do have some tingling and loss of feeling and function in my leg.

Do all the exercises and work you can. Even if there is some permanent damage you can making the muscles that work as strong as they can be. Know your limits and keep pushing.

Thanks for sharing and best of luck as you keep recovering! I'm learning that there is no stop recovery phase, it's keep moving and keep getting better every day or you stop getting better and lose the range of movement.