Sitting After Back Fusion Surgery

It s sleeping on your back.

Sitting after back fusion surgery.

Whereas people normally stand sit and bend without thinking about it spinal fusion patients are almost always conscious of making those movements. Spinal fusion is surgery to permanently connect two or more vertebrae in your spine eliminating motion between them. This is why you need to avoid the following movements after spinal fusion so as to avoid any kind of strain on the fused segments of the spine. John sherman an orthopedic surgeon writing for the website spine health 3 this result is so common that it has been given the name failed back surgery syndrome even though it isn t actually a syndrome.

Sitting puts the most stress on your back. Avoid long car rides if you can while you are healing. What is a lumbar low back fusion. If you use a pillow to support your low back but then collapse over it and create an arch you re going to hurt your back.

Although sitting will not cause damage after back surgery during the first few weeks prolonged sitting is usually uncomfortable and people do best if they get up move around or change position on a frequent basis e g. The road to recovery after spine surgery 6 a fusion stabilizes the vertebrae of the spine creating less chance for slippage of the discs. Twisting bending and excess lifting. During the three to six months following spinal fusion surgery the lumbar fusion bone mass starts becoming established.

How to sit after spine surgery. Excess weight means excess stress on weight bearing structures including the. This sleeping position offers the most support and protection to patients healing from spinal surgery. Short term effects in the short term you can expect that your movements may feel somewhat unnatural after spinal fusion surgery.

Lumbar support pillows ergonomic chairs knee chairs and back braces may be fine for immediate recovery but winter believes the key to sitting comfortably after back surgery is using strong core muscles. You may have imaging tests like x rays or an mri to see how your back is healing. You ll go back to see your doctor about 4 to 6 weeks after your surgery and then every few months to 2 years after. If you can t get a comfortable night s sleep on your back there may be another option for you.

For example you may be asked to get up every half hour to stand walk around for 10 minutes. At least 20 percent of all spinal fusion surgeries fail to relieve lower back pain according to dr. Achieve a healthy weight. Bone from the iliac crest hip local bone from the operative site.

Your surgeon may give you suggestions on how long you can sit after surgery before getting up to walk around. What to expect after spinal fusion surgery. Sleeping after surgery 21 sitting after surgery 22 sitting at your desk after surgery 23. If after surgery you re wondering what the best sleeping position is for recovery we ll tell you.

During spinal fusion your surgeon places bone or a bonelike material within the space between two spinal vertebrae.