Rehab Select Blog

Following a well-designed physical therapy protocol is critical for facilitating recovery from back surgery. Many patients find that therapy in a post-surgical inpatient program leads to the best results. Inpatient rehab allows you access to a regular physical therapy regimen under close supervision where you’ll be supported in the tasks of daily living.  

But how do you choose the right physical therapist to help you reap the most benefit from the process and improve treatment outcomes? 

Here's a checklist of questions you should ask your spinal surgery therapist and tips to get the most out of your inpatient rehab experience. 

After spinal surgery, you'd want to heal as quickly as possible and resume normal activities. Post-op physical therapy (PT) is critical in this recovery process to help you minimize complications, shorten recovery time, and optimize treatment outcomes. 

Your back surgery recovery depends on many things, from your overall health to the degree of symptoms you had before surgery to the type of procedure you had done.  

While you may have activity restrictions in the timeframe immediately following surgery, eventually your physician will want to get you moving again. In many cases, your surgeon may refer you to an inpatient rehab program after your surgery so that your activity can be supervised and safely guided by professional therapists. 

Here, we’ll examine the recovery stages for some common spinal surgery procedures and provide tips for getting the most out of your recovery. 

Michel Roccati’s spinal cord was severed in a motorbike accident in 2017, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. However, after doctors attached electrodes to his spine, Michel became the first ever full spinal cord lesion patient to start walking again. 

The technology that helped Michel is still being tested and not yet available on the market. But it wasn’t just the implant that got him back on his feet. His success resulted from his own determination, his positive outlook, and the rehabilitation therapy provided by his care team. 

And if you’ve had spinal surgery, that same determination, positive outlook, and rehabilitation therapy are also your best bet for a successful recovery. 

Spinal surgery is a major procedure, and proper back surgery recovery is essential for accelerating healing and minimizing complications. Physical therapy should be an integral component to help you reap the most benefits of the treatment, even if you have a minimally invasive procedure. 

Lower back surgeries are complex procedures that require ample recovery time. As such, post-surgical patients often benefit from the kind of intensive therapy and comprehensive care that short-term inpatient rehabilitation provides. To begin preparing for the best outcome, start by understanding how long you or your loved one should set aside for proper healing. Here are some key questions to explore when planning your recovery from lumbar surgeries. 

Every day, over 250,000 Americans face the challenges of living with a spinal cord injury. Spinal cord injuries can affect every aspect of a person’s life and usually require ongoing comprehensive spinal rehabilitation. Unfortunately, there is no way to reverse a spinal cord injury. But with intensive inpatient spinal rehabilitation, many people with spinal injuries are supported to lead independent, fulfilling lives.

Spinal surgery recovery and the time it takes to return to normal activities vary for every person. Factors that may affect the prognosis for a full recovery include the type of surgery, symptoms, and degree of disability before the surgery, age, weight, nutrition, diet, and chronic medical conditions. Lifestyle behaviors, such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and being sedentary, can affect your body’s ability to heal and prolong recovery time.

The thought of spinal surgery can be intimidating. And envisioning the recovery process after such a serious surgery can be even more so. But it doesn’t have to be a scary process. With a solid plan, rehab professionals can guide you through recovery.