Planning A Spinal Compression Surgery Recovery So That You Can Get Moving Faster
Posted on: 4 July 2017
Learning that you need to have spinal surgery can be a frightening venture into an unknown place, but you will soon be back on your feet. With proper care, you will actually feel much better after spinal compression surgery than you did while suffering from sciatica, a small fracture in your backbone, or even to correct a severe curvature of the spine. Your posture will be better, you will feel less stress on your lower extremities, and your back will become more flexible. The full recovery process from spinal compression surgery will take at minimum three months, so here is how you can protect and preserve your back in the interim:
Restricting Your Movements During Spinal Compression Recovery
After you spinal cord has been fused, your backbone will need lots and lots of time to heal in order to get you fully mobilized. The acrylic used to fuse spinal cord fractures has to be set before the healing process can commence. While in the hospital, you will spend your spinal compression recovery time staying prone in bed. Nurses will be able to move your bed up so that you can sit and eat, then adjust it so that it is flat when you want to sleep.
What You Can Expect After You Get Discharged From The Hospital
The full restriction on your movement will be lifted at the time that you are sent home to finish your spinal compression recovery. At this time, you will be able to be assisted into a wheelchair and a car so that you can make your way home. You can still expect to spend your recovery time sitting in a well-cushioned chair, but that doesn't mean that you won't be able to spend short bursts of time in a standing position. A back brace will need to be worn to keep your spine in a fixed position so that your movements aren't harmful.
Walking During Spinal Compression Recovery
At about two weeks after your procedure, you can learn when you will be expected to start walking again. You will be encouraged to talk small steps, use a walker, and only move short distances the first couple of times that you start moving on your own. No more than a month after a spinal compression procedure you should be able to walk in and around your home without harming the incision site or dislodging your spine. You will need to continue wearing a back brace and be very cautious when you go to a seated position, but this is when you will begin to feel properly healed.
Contact a surgery center like Southwest Florida Neurosurgical & Rehab Associates for more information and assistance.
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