Spine Surgery Recovery
If you are scheduled for spine surgery for a back, neck, or spine condition, in Hoboken (or somewhere else), you may have post-surgery expectations, and you may be wondering about your recovery. While your surgeon should always give you detailed instructions about at-home care, as well as routine follow-up appointments, the below tips can also be helpful.
1. Don't Skip Follow-Up Appointments
Post-op appointments are a crucial component of your spine or back surgery recovery process. These appointments allow your surgeon to monitor your progress and if needed, make any necessary changes to your recovery regimen. It's important you make it to all your follow-up appointments.
2. Get Enough Rest
If you're not getting enough sleep at night, it may inhibit the natural healing process of your body. And, if your back or spine surgery has limited your mobility, it can become even more difficult to sleep due to trouble getting into a comfortable sleeping position.
Speak with your doctor about ways to get enough sleep. You can also try things like:
- Not using electronics in your bedroom, after a certain time
- Going to bed and getting up in the morning at consistent times
- Not napping during the day
- Avoiding stimulants, like caffeine, at least four hours before it's time for bed
3. Actively Engage in Rehabilitation
You should follow your postoperative rehabilitation program carefully. Proper stretching and exercise can enhance your spine surgery recovery process significantly and lower your chances of future pain episodes, as recommended by your doctor. Every patient’s program is different, so be sure to listen carefully to your doctor and physical therapists’ instructions.
4. Take Care of Yourself
Make sure to drink plenty of water, ice sore of stiff muscles, eat a well-balanced diet, and rest as much as possible, unless advised by your team otherwise. Take care of yourself in the days after your surgery and assess any further treatments that may be needed to ensure less scarring and soreness, with your doctor.
5. Consider Adapting your Home Environment
These items could help make your surgery recovery at home more comfortable:
A "grabber" device: This lightweight tool can help you avoid reaching up and bending.
Extra cushions or a recliner: The recliner’s seating position may take some pressure off your lower back. It's also more likely you'll be comfortable sitting on a cushioned surface.
A walker or cane: If you think a walker or cane will help you feel more stable, you can talk with your doctor about this option.
A cooler or mini-fridge: Keeping ice packs and cool drinks at hand will help you avoid climbing the stairs more than you need to.
Fall prevention: Remove all things that could be a tripping hazard like clutter or loose rugs. You might want to install handrails as needed like in the shower or on the stairs.
6. Be Patient
Recovery times vary, based on the patient and procedure. Our minimally-invasive procedures are designed to shorten recovery periods and get you back to resuming normal activities as soon as possible. In some cases, additional therapy is needed to restore motion to your spine and joints. This can include anything from physical therapy to injections, medications, massage, acupuncture, or chiropractic. Try not to rush your recovery process.
So many patients needlessly live with spine-related pain. They fear the solution will be worse than the problem. SPINE/RX is committed to dispelling the myths that surround spine surgery and to educating patients about modern spine surgery solutions. We’ve seen the results, and we’ve seen how they can change patients’ lives dramatically.We want life-changing results for every patient. For everyone who visits SPINE/RX, the goal is the same: to use the most minimally-invasive procedure, to achieve the most definitive results. Call us today (201) 535-3735.
