Spine surgery is a major undertaking for your body, even when the operation is performed on a minimally invasive basis, but surgery is only part of the process of getting you back to full health. When the surgeon’s job is done, the onus shifts to the patient to do what they can to ensure they make the best recovery possible.
As we tell all of our patients, this recovery doesn’t happen by accident. You need to be deliberate and smart about how you approach your rehabilitation if you hope to make the fullest recovery possible. With that in mind, we wanted to share some things that all patients should know about recovering after a spinal procedure.
What To Know About Back Surgery Recovery
If you come in with the right expectations and work to avoid surprises, you can keep your recovery on track after spine surgery. Here are some things that are helpful to know before you begin your recovery after spine surgery.
- It Takes Work – To regain the most function and to reduce your likelihood of prolonged pain, you need to proactively attack your spine surgery recovery program. You’re not going to be able to lay in bed for weeks and just let your body figure everything out. You need to strengthen muscles, work to slowly increase spinal stability and push your spine to regain lost flexibility and function. Making the fullest recovery takes work, but since you only get one body, it’s worth it to put in this effort.
- There Will Be Pain – Your scar may only be an inch or two in length, but you’ll still have pain days and possibly even weeks after the procedure. Surgery is a big trauma on your body, and even though your surgeon will do everything they can to prevent tissue damage and help control pain with medication, it’s unreasonable to expect that your recovery will be pain free. Expect that there will be some pain and discomfort, and don’t let it stop you from pursuing the active treatment options that are most effective, like physical therapy. If pain becomes overwhelming, talk to your physician about ways to reduce it, but learn to expect mild discomfort as your body recovers from surgery. Over time, this discomfort will fade.
- Recommendations Are For A Reason – After surgery, your care team will walk you through some physical restrictions and activity limitations. These aren’t in place so that we can watch you struggle, they are there to prevent a major setback as your body slowly gets back to full health. Do not go against these recommendations, otherwise your rehab may take longer or you may even need a secondary surgery to correct an issue. If you believe your restrictions should be adjusted, talk to your surgeon before you do anything outside of your current guidelines.
- It Will Take Time – Rome wasn’t built in a day, and you shouldn’t expect your spine to be back to normal in a week following a major surgery. It’s not always the most fun experience, but stick to the plan, keep the needle moving in the right direction and take pride in the progress you are making. It can take 2-3 months or more for you to get back to feeling like your old self, so mentally prepare yourself for the fact that recovery will take some time. It will be easier to reconcile with this fact and stick to your rehab schedule if you acknowledge that it’s going to take a little time to get back to full strength.
- Your Surgeon Is A Resource – Finally, the surgeon may have completed their hardest task when they performed the operation, but that doesn’t mean their job is done. They are more than happy to be a resource throughout your recovery because they understand the operation is only part of the equation. If you need guidance with your therapy exercises, have questions about wound care or want to talk about your activity restrictions, just reach out. We want protective patients who seek out answers and lean on available resources because it shows that they are committed to their recovery. Never feel like you’re being a burden reaching back out to your care team, because we want to help you in any way we can.
If you’ve been bothered by back pain or have been told that surgery is in your future, reach out to Dr. Sinicropi to see if the team at the Midwest Spine & Brain Institute is the right fit for your care. Give us a call today for more information.
