Roughly 500,000 Americans undergo spinal surgery each year and back pain is one of the most common issues that doctors see and treat surgically. Here is how to recover from these 4 types of spine surgery.

The spine can be prone to a variety of issues, and for some of these problems, there is a surgical procedure that can improve your symptoms. When someone says they have had “back surgery,” they could be referring to any type of procedure that involves the spine.

4 Types of Spine Surgery

As we mentioned, back surgery is one of the most common types of surgery. Because of this, there are many types of spine surgery for different issues.

Here is everything you need to know about four of the most common types of spine surgery along with some tips on making your recovery as smooth and effective as possible.

1. Spinal Fusion

A spinal fusion is one of the most common types of spine surgery, and it’s often done when someone has back pain with movement. The surgeon will fuse two or more vertebrae together so they don’t move against each other anymore. Because there is no more motion, any pain caused by the movement will be relieved.

Because a spinal fusion eliminates some of the motion in the spine, it can’t be done in various areas along the spine, so it might not eliminate all pain if it’s coming from different vertebrae in various areas of the back. Sometimes a spinal fusion is combined with a laminectomy or other spinal procedures.

After a spinal fusion, it will generally take four to six weeks to be able to do regular household activities, and it can take six months or even up to a year for you to be completely back to all of your more strenuous activities. You might need to wear a back brace and you will probably need some degree of physical therapy during orthopedic surgery recovery.

2. Laminectomy

During a laminectomy, a surgeon will remove the lamina, or the bony part of the vertebrae in the area that is causing pain. This opens up some room along the spinal column and can help relieve any pressure that might be caused by a tumor, bone spurs, or other issues affecting the spine. Bone spurs might also be removed during this time.

After a laminectomy, you’ll generally be able (and encouraged) to get out of bed and walk the same day. It usually takes about three months to recover, but depending on your previous condition, your age, the type of job you have, and other factors, it could take up to a year for complete healing.

3. Discectomy

Those with a herniated disc might have a discectomy. This is the removal of the herniated disc that is causing pressure or pain. It is usually done in the lumbar area, or the lower back. These types of spine surgery are less invasive than a laminectomy or spinal fusion surgery, and sometimes it is even done under local anesthetic.

After a discectomy, it will probably be uncomfortable to sit, but that discomfort will get better over time. You’ll be encouraged to get up and walk very soon after the procedure. Most people are able to resume their jobs within one or two months of the surgery depending on what type of job they have.

4. Disc Replacement

If you have degenerative disc disease, you might have a disc replacement. This is generally only done if nonsurgical methods haven’t helped. As in with discectomy, the problem disc is removed; it is then replaced with an artificial disc.

Recovery for a disc replacement is usually about three months, as your body has to adjust to the implant in addition to healing from the surgical procedure.

Tips for Recovering From Spinal Surgery

With any type of spinal surgery, there will be some common recommendations for ensuring that your body is able to heal and get back to its normal state as soon and as completely as possible. As with any other type of procedure, you should carefully follow your surgeon’s instructions to maximize your healing. Here are four tips for a smooth and comfortable spine surgery recovery.

Tip #1: Rest

First, you will need to get plenty of rest. This does not mean that you will be on bed rest; you will simply need to modify your activities to allow your spine to heal. You will not jump back into work, even if you work in an office, right away.

In most cases, you won’t be comfortable spending a lot of time in one position, and that includes sitting. You also might not be able to lift objects for several weeks or even longer. Bending, twisting, and other motions will not be advised for some period of time.

Tip #2: Physical Movement

Second, you will need varying degrees of physical activity. It might sound counterproductive (especially considering that the first tip is to rest!), but after surgery, you will need to move around in order to prevent complications such as constipation and, much more seriously, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.

With that being said, you will have to avoid any motions that could disrupt the surgical site, like bending at the waist or lifting objects weighing more than a few pounds.

Tip #3: Proper Diet

Keeping your energy levels up with proper nutrition after surgery is vital. You’ll need healthy calories to heal; remember that your body will be using a lot of energy to recover from surgery.

You’ll also need to avoid gaining weight during your recovery period, so relying on convenience foods, fast food, and sugary or fatty “comfort foods” is a mistake. Focus on getting plenty of fresh produce, lean protein, and whole grains. These foods will also help keep your digestive system in motion, preventing constipation, which is common after surgery.

Tip #4: Physical Therapy

Finally, you might need physical therapy after your surgery. It is important to keep your appointments and to do the prescribed exercises in between your therapy sessions.

You also might need to wear a back brace for some period of time; it might take some getting used to, but do your best to comply with your doctor’s recommendations.

The Importance of a Recovery and Wellness Center

As you can see, depending on the types of spine surgery that you may undergo, your recovery will be different. At Pearl Recovery Retreat, dedicated staff members will be encouraging you to get up and move around while providing a haven of rest and relaxation in between.

Your nurse can also evaluate your surgical site and watch for any signs of infection and will coordinate your transportation to your doctor if you need to go back for a check-up in a day or two immediately following your surgery.

Regardless of which types of spine surgery you had, our team is dedicated to providing you with the highest quality nutritional plan. We even provide world-class meals and smoothies that will perk up a flagging appetite and help you get in all of the nutrients you need.

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Preparing for surgery is essential to ensuring a quick and positive recovery journey. These four tips can help improve healing and recovery after orthopedic surgery.

Any surgery is scary – even the most benign and routine surgery carries risk and can be distressing to the patient, even if it seems simple and harmless to the surgeon. And orthopedic surgery is often not simple and easy. It’s one of the more complex and challenging types of surgery out there. The person scheduled for surgery is definitely going to be nervous, both about the surgery and the recovery afterward.

The best way to ensure that your actual surgery goes well is to have the best surgeon available to you do the job. Once you’re on the table, you don’t have a whole lot of control over the actual procedure. But when it comes to recovery, you do have a lot of control over how you handle it, and taking the right steps during recovery can help to ensure that you heal both well and efficiently.

So what makes for a healing recovery after orthopedic surgery, and what can you do to make sure that you heal faster and more efficiently than you would have otherwise? Take a look at some of the most important tips for faster healing and recovery after orthopedic surgery.

1. Doctor’s Orders

“Follow the doctor’s orders” may sound like a no-brainer, but you might be surprised by how many people just don’t do the things that their doctor tells them to, for any number of reasons. Different orthopedic surgeries and different surgeons have different protocols, so your specific set of instructions might be different from someone else’s, but you can be sure that your doctor gives them to you for a reason. Don’t ignore them.

2. Manage Your Pain

There is a lot of controversy and stigma around pain medication and pain relief techniques, so it can be tough to know what the right thing to do is. But remaining in pain is almost certainly not the right thing to do. While getting down to no pain at all might be an unreasonable goal immediately following surgery, you do need to manage your pain so that it stays at a reasonable level. Orthopedic surgery recovery is no joke – it takes work. And you won’t be able to do the work that you need to do if you’re in too much pain to move or function.

If you’re the type of person who thinks that taking pain medication makes you weak, it’s time to rethink that. Pain medication can give you the strength you need in order to regain your own strength. Meanwhile, not managing your pain can make you weaker. For example, if you’re in too much pain to get up and walk around as directed after surgery, you’ll be at greater risk for blood clots and even pneumonia. If you are in too much pain to sleep, your body won’t get the rest it needs in order to heal properly.

If you’re concerned about addiction or other health consequences of taking pain medication, it’s important to discuss this with your care team. You may need to have your use of pain medication closely monitored, you may benefit from alternative methods of pain relief, or you may need other types of support.

Whatever you need, it’s important to speak up and be sure that you get it. Do not try to just tough it out on your own. Good pain management is crucial to recovery.

3. Do Your Exercises

You will definitely have exercises assigned to you after your orthopedic surgery, whether or not you were in the habit of doing them before the surgery. Exactly what those exercises are will depend on the type of surgery, your overall physical condition, what type of exercise regimen you had prior to the surgery, and other factors.

But rest assured, you will be doing some type of exercise. And whatever exercises that your medical team recommends are really going to matter to your recovery. It’s how you encourage blood flow and healing to the area of the body that you’re working on and how you regain your strength. Restorative exercises are very important to your recovery.

It’s not impossible that you may find that some exercises are too difficult, or that you notice that some aren’t doing you much good. The important thing is not to just stop doing them. Ask for support from your medical team. Talk to your physical therapist and your doctor. You may need different exercises, different instructions, or different assistive devices. Don’t give up, dig in instead.

4. Eat and Sleep Well

Eating and sleeping probably don’t sound like recovery activities at all! But they are, of course. They can be pleasurable activities, but that’s not why you do them or why you’ve ever done them. You do them because you have to. Have you ever skipped a few meals in a row or spent a few sleepless nights? Many people have. If you have, you probably remember feeling pretty lousy soon after – maybe as soon as the first missed meal or the day after the missed night’s sleep.

You need food and rest to be healthy. And, especially post orthopedic surgery, you need good food and good quality rest. This is not the time to stuff your body with junk or try to get by on cat naps. Instead, this is the time to eat healthy whole foods including lean meats and fresh vegetables, and to practice good sleep habits and hygiene – a comfortable bed, a darkened room, and a lower temperature for the night are some examples. Food is fuel and sleep is restorative. You need them both to get better.

Perhaps most importantly, ask for help when you need it. This may mean asking your doctors for help with exercises and medications or asking your friends and family to help you with rides, cooking, or just emotional support. It could even mean taking advantage of the support offered by a recovery retreat whose staff is trained to help give you the support you need during the post-surgical period.

For proper healing and recovery from orthopedic surgery, visit Pearl Recovery Retreat. Our orthopedic rehabilitation services will ensure that you are taken care of during your recovery period.

Hip surgery recovery will differ based on the procedure done and it’s important to know what to expect during the recovery process.

Hip surgery is a major surgery that takes some time to recover from. There are different types of hip replacement surgery, and your recovery will vary a bit based on which type you have. After your surgery, staying at Pearl Recovery Retreat will allow you to recuperate in a quiet, calm environment. Keep reading to learn what to expect after your hip replacement surgery as well as the benefits of staying at a recovery retreat.

Types of Hip Replacement Surgery

When someone has hip pain or hip stiffness, they might be referred to an orthopedic surgeon for a hip replacement. In general, there are four different kinds.

1. The first, and least invasive of the three is hip resurfacing, which is really just smoothing out the femoral head and socket so the bones work together more smoothly. When a patient is young and active but having pain, this procedure might be recommended.
2. Next is a partial hip replacement. An older patient who falls and breaks a hip might have this procedure. In a partial hip replacement, just one side of one hip joint is replaced.
3. In a full hip replacement, both sides of the hip joint are replaced.
4. Finally, some people have a double hip replacement. This is full hip replacement on both sides. Often, a surgeon will do one hip at a time, but there are some reasons that a double hip replacement will be done. This is, as you might imagine, the most difficult hip replacement surgery to recuperate from.

Preparing for Your Hip Replacement

Hip surgery recovery actually begins before you even have the surgery done. There are some things that you can do ahead of time to help yourself heal more quickly.

1. The first is to make sure that your diet is as healthy as possible. Having a good foundation will give your body the vitamins and nutrients it needs to heal later. Also, this can help you achieve or maintain a healthy weight, which will also make it easier for your hip to heal and for you to move around after your procedure.
2. The second tip is to exercise. Talk to your doctor about what a reasonable exercise program for you would be, then work to integrate it into your routine each week leading up to your surgery. Your muscles will get stronger, leading to an easier recovery.

You will also want to plan in advance for how your daily routine will go in the days and weeks following your hip surgery. For example, think about what types of meals you will be able to prepare and eat or what types of foods your spouse or children will be able to make for themselves in your absence. Look around your home and decide whether you need to move your bed to a different room; you might not be able to easily climb stairs, so if your bedroom is located upstairs, you might consider setting it up in the living room or den instead. Also, look for ways that others can take some of your responsibilities off of your plate for a short time. Perhaps you could hire a cleaning service or arrange for grocery delivery.

The Hip Surgery Recovery Process

Immediately after your hip replacement, you’ll be moved to a recovery room in the hospital or surgical center. You might be surprised that you’ll likely be expected to stand or walk on your new hip the same day you have your procedure done. This is because being sedentary after a major surgery can lead to complications such as blood clots and constipation. If you can get up and move about with the help of your nurse, you will be getting the hip replacement recovery process started right away and will also reduce your risk of developing these potentially serious side effects.

Just like with any surgery, you’ll likely have exercises to do as well as painkillers in the early days to make your hip surgery recovery more comfortable. In addition, you may need wound care to make sure that your incision is healing well. You will need to eat healthy foods to help the recovery process along.

In addition, you will need to schedule and attend appointments with your doctor, a physical therapist, and perhaps other medical professionals. These appointments will continue for weeks or months as you completely heal and get back to your normal routine. Most people will be back to their regular activities within three to six months of their surgery, but talk to your surgeon about what to expect in your specific circumstances.

How Can Pearl Recovery Retreat & Wellness Help?

While you are recovering, it’s important to have a quiet, restful atmosphere. You might get this at home, but if you have children, pets, or other circumstances that make your home busy, Pearl Recovery Retreat & Wellness can be a welcome reprieve from any chaos that could hinder your healing.

In addition, you will need someone who can care for you, especially during the early days after your surgery when you are taking pain medications and might feel groggy or uncomfortable. If you do not have a family member or close friend who can manage your medications and help you do your exercises, Pearl Recovery Retreat & Wellness is an excellent option. We have the staff available to assist you with everything you need to make your recuperation as easy as possible. We even arrange and provide transportation back to your surgeon for your first follow-up visit a day or two after your surgery, if needed.

Finally, at Pearl Recovery Retreat, we offer a wide variety of therapies that can complement your medical supervision. From oxygen therapy to massage, juice fasts to nutritionally complete meals, we have many extras for you to choose from to ensure that your hip surgery recovery is exactly what you want it to be.

If you are planning to have hip replacement surgery and are concerned about your recovery, do not hesitate to give us a call. One of our staff members would be glad to answer your questions and help you decide whether Pearl is the right wellness center for you.