You’ve already been through a lot by the time you have spine surgery after months of suffering.
After spinal surgery, there is a lengthy recovery period. The healing process takes months. It can take a whole year for certain types of back surgery. This is because your spine controls sensation and movement from your fingers to your toes, as it serves as the interface with the rest of your body. After surgery, you have to retrain it to move and function without the discomfort that was bothering you, in addition to giving it enough time to recover itself.
Resume Your Mobility with Physical Therapy
Attending physical therapy following any type of spine surgery has numerous advantages. First of all, it helps you get your spine’s mobility back so you can move around again. The main advantage is that you regain the strength and stamina you lost after surgery. It assists in laying out the plan for your return to regular activities.
Additionally, different spinal operations have distinct limits. Regaining mobility following a laminectomy or lumbar discectomy is given more importance. Conversely, spinal fusions necessitate greater patience and an early emphasis on flexibility.
When Should You Begin?
After spine surgery, it takes time for all of the muscles, ligaments, bones, and nerves to heal. You will remain sedentary for weeks at first because of your limited movement.
The call always goes to your surgeon. It typically takes four weeks following a less complex procedure, such as a discectomy or laminectomy, before you begin physical therapy. Your period of inactivity is substantially longer following spinal fusions and other major procedures—more like six to eight weeks.
Your surgeon will want to make sure everything has healed properly before starting any therapy. You still need to take it slow and gradually return to your regular activities after you’re cleared to resume them.
Is It Going to Be Painful?
We frequently receive that. When someone first walks in, they may think that physical therapy is just “torture and agony.” But that’s not our intention. Your objective is their goal.
The role of a physical therapist is to assist and motivate you to reach your goals and heal as quickly as possible. You should anticipate some discomfort as your body is recovering. However, suffering is never part of the plan.
Home Exercises Are Crucial
Your physical rehabilitation after surgery will end, whether it’s three months or four weeks. And since your last PT visit, your recuperation has gone nicely. It’s crucial to begin performing the stretches and workouts you’ve discovered on your own at home.
Your therapist will start some at-home workouts the moment we see you. Gradually advance your home program to include increasingly challenging workouts or chores as you advance. Consider physical therapy as a classroom and the exercises you do at home as the assignments you must finish to receive a passing mark.
Final Words
Physical therapy may guide post-operative spine patients as they retrain functional movements and practice work-related tasks in a supported and guided way. Particularly in the first three months following surgery, these targeted motions aid in optimizing muscle stability and control of the operative site.