Rehab Select Blog

As the command center of your body, the brain is an intricate and highly durable organ. However, when a stroke happens, it requires targeted and consistent treatment to bounce back.

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. 

Have you just had surgery? Are you in the process of working with your health care team, hospital discharge planners, and loved ones to work out what your next steps will be in terms of recovery and rehabilitation? Has inpatient rehabilitation after surgery been recommended for you, or perhaps simply suggested as a good alternative for your post-op care? If so, you may have questions about how short term rehab can benefit you.

Patients who suffer from a severe illness or undergo surgery often require a breathing tube, passed through the mouth, throat, and vocal cords, down into the windpipe. During the procedure the tube may bruise or otherwise damage your vocal cords, leading to temporary or permanent injuries. If you receive emergency intubation, you are at a particularly high risk for damage.

Tracheostomies become necessary surgery for many reasons. If a patient has had obstruction of the airway, due to an allergic reaction or injury that causes edema, a tracheostomy can be required. Tracheostomy is also often performed when ventilator support will be permanent.

Caring for a tracheostomy - an incision in the windpipe made to relieve an obstruction to breathing - can seem complex, perhaps even scary. The truth is that maintenance procedures are not complicated; but they are critical to keeping the tracheostomy opening and skin around it clean and free of infection. Individuals living with a tracheostomy are likely dealing with a number of medical problems that put them at risk for complications. Proper maintenance of the tube prevents further airway obstructions.