Playo
 
Playo Playo

Your Sports Community App

PLAYO
  • Home
  • Badminton
  • Football
  • Cricket
  • Tennis
  • Quiz
  • Techniques

After A Lumbar Spinal Fusion Surgery, Here Is How You Recover

  • October 25, 2018
  • Zaira Wadood

Lumbar spine or lower back pain is one of the most common reasons, second only to a common cold, why people visit a doctor. The causes of lower back pain could be innumerable.  

Common ones include tumours, scoliosis, spinal stenosis and degenerative disc disease to name a few.

A lumbar spinal fusion surgery is performed to stop the movement at a painful joint of the vertebral column when medicine, physical therapy and other treatments aren’t helpful.

Let’s take a quick look into what a lumbar final fusion means before we talk about the recovery phase.

In this procedure, two or more vertebrae of the lower spine are fused to grow together which removes mobility between them. To fuse the bones together, the intervertebral disc (forms a cushion between the two vertebrae) is removed and a bone graft or a metal/plastic cage is placed in between them.

This removes mobility between the fused bones and releases pressure from the nerves that in turn relieves pain. Depending on the medical expert and the patient, the technique of this surgery is determined.

The surgery can be performed in multiple ways:

  • Anterior lumbar fusion: an incision is made through the stomach
  • Posterior lumbar fusion: an incision is made through the back
  • A combination of both: a combination of the first two

Recovery:

Recovery from a lumbar fusion surgery can be a challenging process and takes patience. Immediately after the surgery, the post-operative care is under the guidance of professionals and could vary from case to case basis.

Resting is one of the important components of the healing process. Extremely minimal activities like sitting up straight, walking in and out of bed under the guidance and stretching in bed should be done as prescribed to avoid muscle stiffness. Bending your back, twisting or lifting should be strictly avoided.

Some of these activities include:

  • Ankle pumps: To help circulation move your ankle up and down as far as possible in a seated or lying down position. Remember not to move your legs.
  • Quad sets: While lying on your back, tighten the muscles of your thighs by pushing the knee down. Hold for 5 seconds and relax.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7Wyz64Dc4A
  • Glutes setting: Lying down in the same position, squeeze your glutes together. Hold for 5 seconds and relax. 

Once the fusion has set, it’s crucial to incorporate mild exercise for an effective recovery. It is natural to feel sceptic about exercise after the procedure but understand that actively promotes the healing.

Resting leads to muscle stiffness and weakens them and putting those muscles to work post the resting phase, strengthens them.

Rehabilitation includes stretching, strengthening your back and core muscles and conditioning. In the initial stages, these exercises should be performed under the strict guidance of a physiotherapist.

Do these exercises once the fusion matures significantly and only after you get a green signal from your physician:

Back strengthening exercises: 

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0InJCGphU0

Exercises to strengthen your core: 

A full recovery may take anywhere between 6 months to a year or more. Make sure to eat a healthy diet. Eat food rich in calcium, essential vitamins and minerals.

veg food diet
Eat food rich in calcium, essential vitamins and minerals. Source.

A long recovery phase can put your patience to test and this is where your strength of character needs to show A full recovery is possible in most cases so don’t stress out!

Just take it easy and listen to your doctor and your physiotherapist.

Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Share 0
Share 0
Zaira Wadood

Previous Article
  • Football

No Messi-Ronaldo For El Clasico’18, Here Are 5 Players Who May Grab The Spotlight

  • October 25, 2018
  • Saketh Ayyagari
View Post
Next Article
  • #DiaryOfASportsFan
  • Fitness and Well-being

Life Lessons To Learn From Ultimate Frisbee

  • October 25, 2018
  • Sunita Sylvia
View Post
You May Also Like
freestyle swimming technique
View Post
  • Techniques

10 Tips To Improve Your Freestyle Swimming Technique

  • Playo
  • December 30, 2021
running injuries
View Post
  • Fitness and Well-being
  • Techniques

Most Common Running Injuries And How To Avoid Them

  • Playo
  • December 20, 2021
Football tips that will revalutionize the game
View Post
  • Football
  • Techniques

Modern Day Football Tactics Revolutionizing the Game

  • Playo
  • September 13, 2021
5 a-side football formations
View Post
  • Football
  • Techniques

6 Killer Formations In 5 a-side Football | Playo

  • Daanish Suhail
  • June 7, 2021
Slide Tackles in Football
View Post
  • Football
  • Techniques

Master your Football skills- Slide Tackles | Playo

  • Nidhi Patel
  • January 4, 2021
View Post
  • Football
  • Techniques

Master Your Techniques- Long Passes in Football

  • Nidhi Patel
  • December 21, 2020
Fight boredom by swimming
View Post
  • Techniques

Learn backstroke: An easy guide into Swimming the right way.

  • Nidhi Patel
  • December 15, 2020
Knee strengthening for basketball
View Post
  • Techniques

Ultimate guide-knee strengthening for Basketball players

  • Nidhi Patel
  • December 4, 2020

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts
  • Finding Joy and Community Through Playing Sports March 16, 2023
  • Play It Forward – Sharing the Gift of Playing January 31, 2023
  • The Birth of American Football January 30, 2023
  • Gymkhana – Sport or Sports Club? January 10, 2023
  • Suresh Raina Turns 36: 6 Facts About India’s Best Southpaw November 27, 2022
Instagram Feed
For @imveer_rrr, everything about sports is an emotion and that's what keeps him coming back for more.
There have been times when my failure at something discouraged me from going back to it. But I’ve noticed that this doesn’t apply to me when it comes to sports. 
tag a sharma from your play squad 🙈
@azeemashraf_1 reminds us why respecting and being there for our team members are some of the most important things that sports can teach!
Follow
Playo Playo
The world’s largest sports community, connecting millions of people to the sports they love

© 2022 TechMash Solutions Private Limited

Input your search keywords and press Enter.