Rebuilding Your Back After An Injury Or Surgery
Category: Surgery Recovery | Author: Stefano Sinicropi
Whether your back has become injured due to years of physical exertion or because of an acute injury, you are probably wondering how you can best heal and put the pain in the past. It’s not going to happen on its own, so what can you do to experience a full recovery after an injury or spinal surgery? We share five tips for rebuilding your spine and making a full recovery in this blog.
Seek Out & Follow Professional Advice
The best way to help your spine recover is to seek out the advice of a professional, so the fact that you’re here, reading this blog, is a step in the right direction. Better yet, contact a spine specialist in your area, or ask your spine surgeon for recovery tips based on your specific situation. General recovery guidelines are good, but a recovery plan tailored to your exact situation is best, and a professional can help provide that guidance.
Stick With Your PT Program
Whether you suffered an injury or are recovering after spine surgery, odds are physical therapy is going to be a part of your rehab plan. That’s because physical therapy helps to strengthen structures that have been weakened. Rest can help your body heal, but physical therapy is what helps you rebuild your spine and get back to your pre-injury condition. Don’t skip any sessions along the way.
Watch Your Weight
When your spine is in a fragile state – which is is after an injury or surgery – you’re going to want to take certain measures to ensure you’re not overstressing the area. One way in which people unknowingly overstress delicate areas is by putting on weight, which causes your spine to shoulder more stress. Injuries and surgical recovery can limit your mobility, which can make it easy to tack on weight. Focus on healthy diet choices, and be sure you’re staying hydrated.
Medication Management
Medications are designed to help control discomfort or pain while you participate in some other treatment modalities, but they are not designed to be a magic answer to your problems. Medications play an integral role in helping you recover, but they need to be paired with active treatment techniques like physical therapy or exercise. Otherwise, your spine will never be the same as it was before your injury.
Stay Active After Recovery
Success rehabilitation is a lot like lifting weights. If you commit to a program and stick to it, you can make a full recovery or set a new max lift. The problem is, you can’t walk away from a routine and expect to continue to achieve the same results. If you’ve been following your PT routine and eating healthy while you recover, then you decide you’re feeling better and quit exercising and eating right, don’t be surprised if you suffer a setback. You don’t need to be perfect all the time, but make time to get regular exercise and try to make healthy dietary choices even after your rehab has run its course.
