Using Spinal Fusion Surgery as lower back treatment has been widely acclaimed in medical circles, but before going for surgery, you need to know some facts about fusion surgery. Once it is completed, it remains a permanent part of you for the rest of your life. Smoking will retard the healing process to a considerable extent. Your sexual life is not harmed, as long as you are able to suspend your weight or carry your partner’s weight. You can play golf and tennis, but activities that involve running or jumping should be avoided for at least one year. Those whose nature of work is not that physically demanding can return to work within a month. Physical therapy is needed to regain the flexibility of the muscles after fusion surgery, and one has to be careful for at least one year not to indulge in any activity that may damage it.

Spinal Fusion Surgery As Lower Back Treatment

A lumbar spine fusion is a type of back surgery designed to treat pain in the lower back.

Because of its broad utility in the management of spine pain, fusion surgery is regularly discussed as a treatment option during visits to orthopedic providers. So if you have back pain and a fusion has been recommended, read on to get the facts about lumbar fusion.
A fusion cannot be undone later on. The hardware fastened to your spine is now a permanent part of you. But don’t fret — minus the scar, you’d never know it was there.

 

You can’t smoke while you heal — especially in the initial stages of recovery. It dramatically reduces your capacity to heal and can delay the process by months. So if you’re having a fusion, now is a good time to quit.

 

Sex won’t be a problem after surgery if it wasn’t a problem before. Complications from back surgery rarely involve sexual side effects. As soon as you can suspend your own weight or comfortably assume the weight of your partner, you’re ready to go. Tennis and golf should be fine, but impact sports are not recommended until a year has passed. Anything activity that has a high frequency of running and jumping needs to be put on hold for 12 months.

 

You could probably return to work inside of a month’s time — if your job doesn’t exact too much strain on your back. Laborers and others involved in manual work may need longer though — in some cases it’s several months before a return to work is safe. Sciatica will likely be gone after surgery if you had it before. You may still experience some transient nerve pain from time to time, which is a normal postoperative side effect after decompressing a pinched nerve.

 

You will need therapy following surgery. The spine stiffens up after a fusion — and it’s not just because of the implanted rods and screws. The tissue surrounding the rest of the lumbar spine tightens in the presence of surgery, so you’ll need to work hard in therapy to regain flexibility and function. The fusion should heal well by the three-month mark, but as previously mentioned, the integrity of the graft isn’t fully solid until you’re a full year post-op. So be careful with your back — especially if it’s an activity you haven’t done for a while.

 

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If you are recommended for Spinal Fusion Surgery as lower back treatment, you need not worry about post-operative complications as long as you follow certain basic advice. As with any surgery there is always a risk that it won’t work. Usually fusion is carried out as a last resort, and results are mixed, depending on the patient, however technology is improving and success rates are better as a result.

Dr. Greg Hollstrom, chiropractor at the Florida Center for Back and Neck Pain describes therapies which relieve the most common forms of back pain, neck pain and headaches.

In this video see how spinal decompression works to treat a herniated spinal disc and resulting back pain – from Doctor Timothy Dembowski of SpinalDecompressionAtlanta.com