What Should I Be Doing Before My Spine Surgery?

If an elective spine surgery is in your future, you may assume that there’s nothing that you can do until after your operation is complete, but that’s simply not true. There’s plenty that you can do prior to surgery, and many of these things can make your recovery and your life a little simpler once your operation is complete. In today’s blog, we take a look at some of the things you should be doing before your spine surgery.

Making The Most Of Your Lead Up To Spine Surgery

If you want to set yourself up for success after surgery, here’s what you’ll want to do before your spine operation.

1. Physical Therapy – We understand that physical therapy is usually recommended as a non-operative treatment, and if you’ve progressed to the point that you need surgery, it’s clear that physical therapy wasn’t able to completely solve your issue. However, that doesn’t mean that physical therapy is completely useless. PT will help to strengthen key structures and stabilize your spine, and the stronger your back is before surgery, the stronger it will be after your operation. Talk to your surgeon to see if there are any prehabilitation physical therapy exercises you could benefit from.
2. Stay Active – We know that it may be easier said than done to stay active if you’re waiting for a procedure to correct a spinal issue, but being active will help boost your circulation, which ensures that spinal structures get the oxygenated blood they need. Staying active will also help you avoid weight gain. The more you weigh, the more stress your body has to help disperse, so maintaining a healthy weight or working to shed a few pounds can take a lot of stress off your spine, which will already be in a weakened state after surgery.
3. Prepare The House For Your Return – In the lead up to your surgery, make sure that your house is ready for your return. Do the dishes and the laundry, run a vacuum, pick up any tripping hazards and set up a recovery station in your bedroom or living room equipped with things like a water bottle, phone charger, remotes and books. The less you need to do around the house while you’re recovering from spine surgery, the better.
4. Prepare Some Healthy Meals – This could fall in with the above tip, but we thought it deserved its own section. Weight gain and poor dietary choice are real concerns after spine surgery when you may be looking for fast and comfortable food options. Don’t lean on fast food or delivery. Instead, prepare some healthy meals that are easy to reheat so that you don’t need to spend a lot of time in the kitchen cooking while you’re recovering from the trauma of surgery.
5. Ask Questions – Sometimes anxiety can get the best of us in the lead up to surgery, and one way to combat this feeling is by becoming informed. Ask questions about your surgery and your recovery so that you really understand what to expect during and after the operation. This also ensures that you know what you need to do after surgery to help keep your recovery on track.
6. Pack A Bag – If you know that you’ll be staying overnight, or if it is possible that you’ll need to stay overnight for observation, pack your bag well in advance of your surgery date. Pack comfortable clothing, a phone charger, a water bottle and any entertainment options to keep your mind busy while you’re waiting to be discharged. Talk to your care team if you want to learn more about what to put in an overnight recovery bag.
7. Follow Your Doctor’s Specific Instructions – Finally, it is imperative that you pay close attention to your doctor’s specific instructions and you follow them closely in the days and hours leading up to your surgery. Be sure to adhere to their instructions when it comes to eating or bathing both before and after surgery, and if you have any questions about your pre-op instructions, please don’t hesitate to reach out for confirmation.

If you can follow these tips, we’re confident that you’ll be in a good place prior to your spine surgery. For more information, or for help with a different spinal issue, give Dr. Jackman and the team at The Midwest Spine & Brain Institute a call today at (651) 430-3800.