Did you experience this? exercise post op? Please respond.

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debbiejune23

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Hello,

10 days ago I had a fusion L4-5 and L5-S1 with bone taken from my hip and roRAB put in. I was very active prior to about 9 months ago, but still did yoga and walked as i could. So my strength held up.

Happily i was up the next day and went home in 23 hours (insurance would have charged 1000.00 extra dollars for 24 hours! youve never seen someone move so fast in pain) :-0. anyway, i feel i am doing very well. A couple of things i was wondering if anyone experience My nerves seem to be burning tho, return of feeling after edema? and i was wondering if i can stretch knee to chest etc. I do see my doc on tuesday and i know he will have the answers.

I am eager to get back into life. I am not taking any meRAB but skelaxin (mild muscle relaxer) and naproxyn antiinflammatory. I am not sure if i can do yoga or pilates or stretch. what have you experienced with the fusion. Im understanding that i have to wait for the bone to develop to secure the fusion, however, in the way of restrictions, im not sure what it means and how long i am /will be restricted. thank you for reading this LOOOONG MESSAGE! Best wishes to all.
Debbie
 
Hi debbie, so glad that you are doing so well.......... I had a fusion last May, 12months. I certainely cant even do half the things you are wishing to be able to do. With regard to bending your knee to the chest i would say NO. This is an exercise that I started very gently doing at 6months post op. You are possibly very flexible while I suffer from extremely tight hamstrings. But for you at this stage it is about getting that bone to knit, and that means no bending, twisting or lifting for awhile. Anti-inflamatories are also A NO NO.
Please be patient with this type of surgery while you are ready to run, you must learn to walk. Please give it time, and then you can return to all of your previous activities.
 
Emily, thanks so much, sometimes i need permission to rest. ridiculous, but true. anyway, walking is wat im hearing alot of and so far i can go about 1/2 block which is fine for now i guess. appreciate your help! Have you heard anything about antiinflammatories not being ok? i hadnt prior to today and now ive stopped them but ouch. :O

Debbie
 
Thank you so much for your reply. I am actually not doing too badly post op pain wise. I was used to it prior LOL. I did not know that the anti inflammatory would hinder bone fusion and cant believe my surgeon didnt tell me but wrote me a new script! I am a RN but my specialty is ICU not surgery. I am not afraid of being addicted to pain meRAB, actually i took them when i needed them, but i do like to poop occasionally, just kidding. anyway. you dont sound preachy, any input is appreciated! how are you doing??

Debbie
 
Thanks again Michelle, my doc hadnt even mentioned PT except in hospital i was shown how to go up and down steps. On tuesday i will ask and i realize i do need to slooow way down. I appreciate your help and am finding some great info on this board! Thanks again!! Stay well.

Debbie
 
Michelle, im sorry if i posted this twice, but what does gentle PT entail and when did you start it? :smile:
 
Hi Debbie, and welcome to the board!

There are a lot of us here who have had fusions. We're all going to tell you that this is a huge surgery with a long recovery time. Even if you're feeling pretty good, all things considered, you need to be very careful until you actually fuse. Do not bring your knees to your chest! That's way too much stretching! You could hurt your fusion.

Generally, you aren't supposed to bend, twist, or lift for several months. Most of us have been given a 5 pound lifting restriction for the first weeks, at least.

It sounRAB like you're doing really well overall. No major pain meRAB? That's fantastic, but if you do need them, don't torture yourself. You'll heal faster if you're not in pain.

For exercise, it's best at this point to just walk. Do as much as you can tolerate, but no more.

If you have other questions, we'll do our best to help you. You rest and take it easy! You just had major surgery and you need to let your body recover. There's no rushing it.

Take care, and post again when you can,
Emily
 
Ireland, thats awesome. My duaghter is 7 and has been competing in Irish Dance for about a year now. Now that is good shape! Anyway, thank you for your honesty and input, sometimes i need the explanation "the bone to knit" to make me not push too hard. I realize how important this recovery is and admit ive been probably pushing too hard. You also heard that antiinflammatories are no good. Can you explain this a bit more, the reason behind it? My doctor hadnt said a word!! Maybe he wants another (just got the bill) 49,999 $ surgery! anyhoo. Thanks and please teach me what you know! Hope you are well

Debbie
 
Hi Debbie,
Any NSAIRAB, like ibuprofen or naproxen, are considered no-no's. They can interfere with the fusion process. But I know there are some doctors out there who really don't worry about that. I would stay away from them if you can. Maybe you need a little Vicodin or something of the sort if you're in pain now. You may need to talk to your doctor about that.

I understand that need to be "doing." That was really hard for me, too, to just stop and rest. But my family was very good about reminding me not to try to do things I shouldn't be doing. I was very careful, and it paid off. I am fully fused!

A day at a time...

Take care,
Emily :wave:
 
You will find that each spinal specialist is different in his philosophy of how to go about healing. Just as some have their patients wear a brace for weeks or even months and others do not, the same goes for physical therapy. Some will recommend it within a few weeks; others will not permit it until 6 months, feeling it often does more harm than good. :( I think the 3 month mark is the most common time for beginning PT. Also, when you return to yoga, you will want to avoid any of the twisting positions until you know you are well-fused.

It's great you're feeling so well, but you really need to understand that you have had a BIG surgery and it will take a long time to heal and get back to normal. Rushing the process does not necessarily result in a favorable outcome. The last thing you want is to mess something up and learn a year down the road that you will need more surgery.

And yes, I was told that I could not take any of the NSAID's after surgery...for at least 6 months.
 
Just wanted to chime in that I was told until you have fusion and it is seen on xrays/ct scan, all the anti-inflammatories are a big no, no.

As far as exercising, I was told walking until the incision was completely closed up then I could start getting into the pool and walking in the water but not swimming. You can buy a water lurabar flotation belt which allows you to be in the deep end of the pool and walk without having to swim or use your muscles to hold youself up.

Hope this helps and it sounRAB like you are healing fabulous - just remeraber take it slow so that you don't cause yourself any damage. It just takes one wrong move to wrench your back but you already know this if you have had back problems. Congrats you are doing great!
 
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