u/GlobalLibrarian6763

Hey everyone,
I wanted to share my situation and see if anyone here has gone through something similar.
About 13 months ago, I had an accident where I fractured my L2 vertebra (second lumbar vertebra). From what I was told, it was a compression fracture, meaning the vertebra got partially crushed and became slightly wedge-shaped.
In the initial report, it also mentioned that a part of the vertebra had shifted slightly toward the spinal canal, causing a mild narrowing (relative spinal canal stenosis).
Because of that, I had surgery. The doctors performed a posterior stabilization using pedicle screws and rods (placed above and below the fractured vertebra).
As I understood it, during the surgery they also realigned the vertebra and performed a decompression, to relieve any pressure on the spinal canal and nerves.
My recovery went surprisingly well:
I only had pain for about a week after the accident
Since then, I’ve been mostly pain-free
No nerve symptoms (no tingling, numbness, or weakness)
Now, after about 13 months, my surgeon says everything looks stable and that I can have the hardware removed, since it wasn’t meant to be a permanent fusion.
Still, I’m a bit worried:
Could the vertebra “collapse” after hardware removal?
Is it permanently weaker because of the fracture?
Could the surrounding vertebrae have issues because the screws were placed there?
How safe is it to return to training (gym, calisthenics, eventually jumping/explosive movements)?
Has anyone here:
had a similar lumbar fracture (L2/L3)?
had their hardware removed after about a year?
How did it feel afterward compared to before?
Any issues with stability or returning to sports?
I’d really appreciate honest experiences 🙏