Concealed carry with a back brace

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oldrevolverguy

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I am having lumbar fusion surgery in a few weeks. The incision/repair will be right along my belt line perpendicular to the spine. I usually carry with a strong side kydex IWB holster under a large t-shirt or Hawaiian type shirt. I will not be able to wear a heavy holster belt, nor will I be able to bear any weight on my belt line for a long time. I will be in a back brace for up to six months.

Have any of you guys experienced a similar predicament? If so, how did you carry?
 
Not recreationally, but I refuse to be defenseless.

Not recreationally, but I refuse to be defenseless.
 
In addition to IWB carry, I have used vertical shoulder holsters in the past. Not sure how invasive the back brace is.

Other options that occured to me all ended up ultimately placing the weight back on the waist (cargo pants pocket, fanny pack). Maybe a day planner hoster?
 
+1 on the day planner holster.


One thing you may want to consider is a manly bag.

I bought one that was on clearance at Pep Boys, and it works perfectly to carry my 1911. Has little pockets for magazines, and a secret compartment on the back for the machine.
 
Sorry to read about the back problems. I know how painful...debilatating, in fact, back problems can be since I have degenerated disks too. No surgery...not yet. I did look into it a few months back, but elected not to go through the surgery. I still have problems, but can move around as long as I keep my limitations in mind. For you guys who do not have back problems...well, you would be amazed how muscles interact...even doing things that you wouldn't think would affect the back, will cause severe pain. You can laugh at this, but even taking a dump can result in agony (not really funny, since that part of the problem can be extremely dangerous).

oldrevolverguy may have to consider carrying a lighter firearm...and, I think pocket carry would work for him. I'd suggest one of the little light weight snubbies in .38 Spl or something like a Ruger LCP. I don't know what kind of restrictions he'll be under (other then what he posted here). My doctor wasn't as stringent as his, I guess.
The LCP is a much lighter gun, but racking the slide might prove difficult or impossible.
I do know that self defense of any sort will be difficult. It doesn't take much movement to put you right down (I mean down on the floor) with the pain from a back problem.

Good luck, oldrevolverguy...I hope that surgery resolves your problems!
 
I would go with a lightweight snubby like a smith airweight or Colt cobra/detective special in a shoulder rig. When I hurt my back, it was not so much the gun's weight that was the problem but the belt cinched around my waist. Given your name you must have a gun like that right? Or maybe a pocket holster if that works for the pants you wear.

I might even clip a keltec into the back brace.

What mostly worked for me was staying home and lying on the floor drinking. Then the gun just stayed under the couch nearby. :)
 
First two ideas that come to mind (at least, as far as using my "minimum" caliber) is a 642 (or 342 with .38's) in a pocket holster or a Ken Null ultra-light shoulder rig.

The .380's mentioned beat a harsh word, of course, and you may have to settle for one of those instead.

.
 
Thanks everybody

The pocket holstered handgun is the consensus solution. Thanks guys, I will take your advice.

This is what web sites like the High Road are for, as far as I am concerned.

Thanks again.
 
After each of my 2 lumbar fusions, I carried a S&W 3919 in a light nylon horizontal holster until I could get back to IWB carry. It worked well for me. Ankle holsters are definitley out for several months due to the bending.
 
Good luck and God bless on the surgery. I hope 6 months is the ultra-unlikely number the doctors gave, and not the actual time.

My 2 cents: if you have to decide between pain killers and carrying, take it easy at first and stay home as long as you can. The dissociative drugs (like percocet) will jam your OODA loop.
 
0412kf_1223_general.jpg


Several years ago I had my right hip replaced and was in a similar situation as the OP. I tried out a Maxpedition Jumbo Versipak which allows for the concealed carry of a large handgun as well as a lot of other stuff as well. Not a fan of off the body carry I found the Jumbo to be a well conceived, effective, and easy for me to carry as my hip healed.

My hip is now healed and I can carry as I choose but still find that I use the Jumbo from time to time. Great product!
 
IWB will be out of the question... I would either get a pocket holster, or a shoulder holster. I have a desk job, and carrying IWB gets painful after 8 hours. I either carry a J-frame revolver in a Desantis Nemesis pocket holster, or I carry a Glock 26 in my Galco Classic Lite shoulder holster. Both are very easy on the back.

Best of luck for a speedy recovery.



...
 
I might be having thoracic disc fusion here in a while and I think I'll just keep the sob carry going and just not worry if I imprint. Not sure if you get a back brace for that or not, but I think that a month or so of con leave will give me enough to rig something. We'll have to see. On the flip side, the only thing that the sob carry isn't good for is if you bend over, and I don't myself doing a lot of bending over if I have that surgery.

But that in the pocket carry... I might just have to buy one small enough to fit into my pocket.
 
I've been away from this forum for a long time but a friend on another unrelated forum pointed me here. Good points, all, I've thanked him for bringing me back to the fold and I'm grateful for the ideas here.

My lumbar surgery failed, no need to get into why. After almost three years of this and that, I'm in a brace with a rigid back and belly and side stays, and most methods of carrying serious iron just went out the window ... or did it? It's time to get inventive.

I've found that the brace (it's an LSO-L0631 if you want the Medicare code) has a ton of places from 9 o'clock to 3 o'clock to fasten multiple pocket pistols in simple sheath/clip type IWB holsters. But, I want to carry a 1911, and the crank-down straps only go from my nine to my three, which leaves me out on a good, concealable strongside carry in hot weather - kinda, sorta. I think I can tinker with one of the simple IWB holsters enough to get the angle right (basically, throw away the holster, save the clip, and make a holster using the saved part so I can set the clip at the angle it ought to be), and in winter my favorite crossdraw position can be done. Of course, I could always slap a belt over the whole mess, but the brace needs to be adjusted often throughout the day for comfort's sake and that complicates things a lot. It has plenty of perfectly good stout belt-like straps, they're just not quite in the right places.

I'm not quarreling, though, if it weren't for the brace I'd spend most of my day in the recliner. Like the O.P., though, even though I'm in this situation for keeps and he's hopefully in the situation temporarily, I'm not ready to give up.

I'm very glad I found this place again, I can't imagine why I let it fade from my attention, especially given the answers to this thread.
 
The pocket holstered handgun is the consensus solution. Thanks guys, I will take your advice.

This is what web sites like the High Road are for, as far as I am concerned.

Thanks again.
Click to expand...

I think you are on the right track. Placing the weight of the gun below your wasteline and area of lower back surgery is probably the best option you have.

Though I do not have any disc problems in my lower back, I do get very painful muscle spasms from time to time, once causing me to drop a $300 printer I was carrying and double over to the floor for 30 minutes. That was bad enough, and I can well imagine that what you are going through is many times more painful.

God bless you, you have my prayers for a quick and successful recovery.
 
I carried a 3913 in a cheap nylon shoulder rig for a month or so until I could get back to carrying on my belt.

I had 4 back surgeries. Listen to what the Doc says and don't push it....at all. I felt good after 1 week and decided I felt good enough to make a salad...wrong. The muscles they cut spasmed and didn't release for over a month! It hurt like hell and reall restricted me until they released.

Good luck
 
I just had abdominal surgery and my stomach is really swollen. I have to wear suspenders since I can not button my pants and a belt is out of the question. Luckily for me I own the airweight smith and wesson model 642 with crimson laser grips. I wear consealment underwear check this site.

http://www.undertechundercover.com/

I also dress more sharply now and wear a sport coat if I don't wear the secret agent undies. Hope you get well soon.
 
POCKET CARRY! If you don't already have one pickup one of the many subcompact .380 auto pistols available today and a good pocket holster. Pocket carry beats ankle carry any day.

I can recommend the ruger lcp and blackhawk #1 pocket holster. Also of interest may be the taurus pt738, daimondback db380, kel-tec p3at, and kahr p380.

Good luck with your surgery and recovery as well.
 
Yep, I had spinal fusion (L4/L5/S1) June '07. I was 50 at the time.

I pocket carried my Kahr PM9 as soon as I got home from the hospital--that was four days after surgery. I returned to work about a week later (total two weeks off from work).

Wore the brace for about three months.

I visited the range within 30 days, and shot once per month thereafter (once per week after about six months).

If you have an LCP, you could probably wear it home from the hospital. I do now, but didn't then. :)

Edited to add:
Damn it, just realized that I replied to a post that is well over a year old. As such, the info is worthless to the OP. :mad:
THORGRIM, post #20, next time, open a new thread that applies to your circumstance. It will allow us to give more relevant info, rather than replying to a stale thread and a poster whose circumstance is entirely different from yours...
 
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