Posted by Stephen Messineo on Mon, Mar 02, 2009 @ 06:06 AM
Resuming activity after suffering a herniated disc or going through an operation to correct a disc injury can be as scary as getting back on the proverbial horse, especially in an area as sensitive as your low back. But an extensive October 2008 study from the Cochrane Review (an international, nonprofit health care research organization) suggests that getting active as soon as possible is the best thing you can do to recover successfully from disc injury or surgery.
The study examined 14 different trials focusing on exercise after lumbar disc surgery. In all cases, the overall consensus was that the sooner patients started exercising, the less pain and disability they experienced. In fact, when a relatively intensive exercise program was started 4 to 6 weeks after surgery, patients experienced a quicker return to normal daily activities and work, with no increase in complications or the need for additional surgeries.
Of course, every patient case is unique, and you should follow your doctor's instructions if you suffer a disc injury. But most physicians encourage patients to get moving as soon as possible. Why is this so important? Well, the better your muscle function in general, the easier your recovery will be. Back pain is often due to muscle weakness (especially in muscles that support spine and joint function) or poor physical condition. Just because you treated a specific problem with pain medication or by having surgery does not mean that the conditions that caused the problem in the first place have been resolved. Building strength, cardiovascular stamina and flexibility can enhance your chances for a complete recovery from a disc injury.
Unfortunately, despite physicians' acknowledgements that
exercise is important for disc injury recovery, not all of them recommend physical therapy for their patients who suffer from it? This is often baffling to me and my staff. Our role in your recovery is to make sure you are doing the exercises you need to strengthen your back, and make sure you are doing them correctly. We know from experience that patients need guidance in exercise performance and progressions to be able to gain strength and return to the functional and recreational activities they were doing prior to injury. Patients who do not receive guidance or instruction from physical therapists often have a slower recovery, especially if pain continues to be a problem for them.
If you are experiencing discogenic pain pre or post-surgically, we can show you ways to work around -and more importantly, alleviate-this discomfort. We can start slowly, working with your physician to design a program that focuses on strength training, resistance exercises and rebuilding cardiovascular endurance. Committing to an exercise program can help you get back on your feet and feel better than ever, which makes your recovery from disc injury or surgery all the more worthwhile.