What does rehab after spinal surgery involve?
Rehab helps you move, walk and sit safely while the spine and the nerves recover. It starts with the surgeon’s rules, then builds strength and endurance in steps. The aim is to get you back to ordinary life with a back you can trust.
Back problems are very common: the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that low back pain affected 619 million people in 2020 [1]. Most never need surgery. If you did, our pages on slipped disc and spinal stenosis explain the conditions that lead there.
Which operation did you have?
The three most common are a discectomy, a decompression and a fusion.
- A discectomy removes part of a disc pressing on a nerve.
- A decompression makes room for nerves in a narrowed spine.
- A fusion joins bones together so the segment cannot move.
Rules differ between them and between surgeons, so we always start with your operation note. The comparison page on surgery or physiotherapy for the back looks at why people choose each route.
What will the physiotherapist do?
At the first visit we read your instructions, watch you move and make a safe plan.
- We teach you to roll out of bed and stand up without twisting.
- We build up walking, in short and frequent steps.
- We practise sitting and standing, on chairs of different heights.
- We add gentle strength for the trunk and legs, as the surgeon permits.
- We prepare you for lifting, carrying and returning to work.
Core stability exercises come in at the stage your surgeon allows. WHO says staying active, along with physical therapies, can help people with low back pain [2]. After surgery, “active” means the right amount at the right time.
What changes at home in Ipoh?
Home is where the rules get tested: a bed that is too low or too soft, a squat toilet, a terrace-house staircase, a sofa you sink into. We check each one and show you a safe way to use it.
We also plan the trip back to the hospital for review, whether to Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun or a private hospital. The car seat, the length of the drive and the walk from the car park can strain a healing back. Our guide on lifting safely at home helps the family too.
What can I do this week?
Follow your surgeon’s instructions, and keep it simple.
- Walk short distances on flat ground, a few times a day, as allowed.
- Log roll out of bed instead of sitting up directly.
- Change position regularly rather than sitting or lying for long.
- Do not lift anything heavier than the surgeon permits.
- Write down numbness, tingling or weakness, and tell us and your surgeon.
When should you call the surgeon or go to hospital?
Call your surgeon if the wound leaks, opens or becomes red and hot, you have a fever, or pain or leg weakness is getting worse.
Go to the emergency department at once for new difficulty passing urine or controlling the bowels, numbness around the genitals or buttocks, or sudden weakness in both legs. Chest pain, breathlessness, or a swollen painful calf also need urgent care.
Home visit or Canning Garden centre?
Home visits across Ipoh are available now, and they suit the early weeks when sitting in a car is tiring. Our Canning Garden centre near Fatimah Hospital is opening soon, and may suit the later strengthening stage.
Prices differ for home and centre, and we give a quote on WhatsApp after a short description. Read about post-surgical rehabilitation and home physiotherapy.