Dr. Stefano Sinicropi, M.D.

Your quest to regain strength and function in your spine isn’t over once your surgeon has closed the last stitch on your back. In fact, it’s really just beginning. Spine surgery is the first step in a stronger and healthier spine, but it’s what you do during your rehab period that will play the biggest role in restoring function.

Like all patients working hard to recover following spine surgery, you’re going to run into some challenges along the way. But what are some of the most common pitfalls that you can expect to encounter during your efforts to recover after spine surgery? We explore some of the biggest challenges to a successful rehab after spine surgery in today’s blog.

Obstacles To Recovery After Back Surgery

Everyone will face their own unique challenges on their path to recovery, but here’s a look at some of the challenges we help patients navigate most frequently:

• Pain – Pain and discomfort is a necessary reality of experiencing the physical trauma of surgery, but if you’re smart in how you approach it, you can keep it from derailing your recovery efforts. Work with your care team before and in the immediate aftermath of your operation to plan for how discomfort will be managed with the help of medications. This discomfort will gradually decrease as you get further into your recovery, so they’ll also cover how to successfully taper your medication as you progress along. Over-the-counter pain meds, ice, heat, rest, controlled stretching and physical therapy exercises can all work to address both short- and long-term pain associated with your surgery. Expect some discomfort, but know that it’s nothing that you and your care team can’t handle, and it won’t end up being a problem during your recovery.
• Effort – One thing we really push to help patients understand is that much of their functional recovery is in their own hands. Rest alone isn’t going to help them make the strongest recovery, and in fact if all you do is lay in bed for the weeks that follow your operation, you’re likely to remain quite weak despite your procedure. The effort you put into your recovery program will set the stage for the type of rehabilitation you’ll make. We tell patients that they’ll get out what they put in during their physical therapy sessions, so rehab will be negatively impacted by poor effort or skipped sessions. Simply showing up and doing your exercises to the best of your abilities will go a long way in helping you regain the most function in your spine.
• Surgeon Skill – While the vast majority of spine surgeons are incredibly skilled, you’ll want to trust your procedure to a surgeon like Dr. Sinicropi who has helped thousands of patients achieve fantastic results. Putting your spine in the hands of an experienced and knowledgeable surgeon will go a long way in helping you make a strong recovery.
• Wound Management – It’s also very important that you pay close attention to your surgical wound site as it heals in the days and weeks after your procedure. If the wound site reopens or bacteria makes its way into the incision area, you may need to head back to the surgery center for additional care. We understand that managing an incision site on your spine may be a little more difficult than an incision on your forearm or leg, so have a spouse, loved one or friend help keep the area clean in the event it’s becoming difficult to manage on your own.
• Restriction Adherence – Again, it’s possible that you will be your own worst enemy when it comes to your rehab and recovery. We understand that you want to get back to a number of normal daily physical activities, but if you push yourself too hard or too soon, you can cause the operation to fail. Your physical restrictions are in place for a reason, so don’t do anything that you haven’t been cleared to do. If you have questions about certain tasks or believe you are ahead of schedule with your rehab, get clearance from your treating physician before jumping into activities that you’ve been told to avoid. Minding your restrictions is important if you want to avoid a setback during your recovery.

If you keep these tips in mind and trust your care to a talented spine surgeon like Dr. Sinicropi, we’re confident that you can keep your rehab on track. For more information, or for more advice related to a different back issue, connect with Dr. Sinicropi and the team at The Midwest Spine & Brain Institute today at (651) 430-3800.

Comments are closed.