Spine surgery, no matter how small, is a traumatic experience for your body, and odds are that some pain and discomfort will be present following your operation as your body works to heal. Nobody likes to be in pain, so we work with all of our patients to help reduce their discomfort and make it as short as possible following a spinal procedure. In today’s blog, we share some ways that you and your surgeon can help to reduce and control pain in the wake of a spinal operation.
How To Reduce Pain After Back Surgery
There are a number of ways that you can work to reduce or decrease pain after your surgical procedure. Here’s a look at some of the more effective methods:
- Preoperative Rehab – Starting a physical therapy routine prior to your surgery will help make the area stronger and more stable, which will help with pain control after surgery is complete.
- Pain Medications – Depending on your specific operation, your surgeon will likely recommend prescription opioids or over-the-counter pain medications to help with discomfort in the first few days and weeks following your procedure. These are not meant to be a long-term solution, and you’ll want to pursue other pain management techniques in conjunction with pain medications.
- Minimally Invasive – Depending on what operation you’re having performed, do your research on surgeons and find one who is skilled at using minimally invasive techniques to correct an issue. A minimally invasive procedure leads to less tissue damage, which in turn helps to control pain.
- Physical Therapy – After surgery, physical therapy will be one of the best ways to help strengthen structures, improve stability and manage pain. The more functional improvement you make through PT, the less discomfort you’ll have in the long-term.
- Cold Therapy – Icing the area or using cold therapy can help to reduce swelling and pain at the surgical site.
- Early Movement – It may seem counterproductive as movement can cause some short-term pain and discomfort, but early movement and exercise has been linked to better long-term outcomes and reduced pain in patients undergoing a spinal procedure. Follow your surgeon’s specific instructions, but don’t be surprised if you’re up and walking or moving shortly after the procedure to improve circulation to the surgical site.
- Posture Awareness – Finally, as you recover from your spinal operation, it pays to be mindful about your posture and how it’s putting stress on your recovering spine. Your care team will likely provide you with some posture education information and some tools so that you can perform self-checks and corrections to ensure your posture isn’t putting excess stress on your spine that could be contributing to pain.
There will always be some level of discomfort as your body works to heal from the trauma of surgery, but if you follow these tips and trust your surgery to a skilled surgeon like Dr. Sinicropi, we’re confident that pain will be minimized during your recovery. For more information, or for help with your spinal issue, reach out to Dr. Sinicropi and the team at The Midwest Spine & Brain Institute today at (651) 430-3800.
