Recliners can help ease pressure on your lower back, and sitting on something cushioned, such as an inflatable donut pillow or hemorrhoid pillow, can make sitting more tolerable. If you're having extensive surgery, you may want to consider renting an adjustable bed for the postoperative recovery period. Shower mat.
Recliner. Sitting on a recliner, with your legs raised and upper back propped up, may help ease some of your discomfort. If you do not have a recliner, you can create a similar effect using pillows underneath your legs and behind your back.
The right way to sleep after back surgery
The best position to sleep in after spine surgery is lying flat on your back, placing a pillow below your knees or lying sideways with a pillow between your bent knees.
After surgery, avoid sitting in soft chairs and on couches where your hips drop below your knees. If a chair is too high for you, place your feet on a small stool or box to help maintain correct sitting posture. Take frequent breaks by standing up and stretching every 30 to 45 minutes.
If You Have Had Lower Back Surgery (Microdiscectomy or Laminectomy): You may sit in a recliner or on a couch with a rolled-up towel or pillow for lumbar support for as long as you are comfortable. On longer car trips, get out and walk around for ten to fifteen minutes every hour.
Are recliner chairs bad for your back? Slumping and hunching is bad for back pain, upright can be too. But reclining is not bad for back pain. In fact, research has identified that sitting in a reclined position is better for your back than sitting upright.
While wiping, bend from the knees rather than at the hips. A long- handled device may help to reach all areas. 4. The use of pre-moistened, flushable wipes is strongly recommended.
Avoid strenuous activities, such as bicycle riding, jogging, weight lifting, or aerobic exercise, until your doctor says it is okay. Do not drive for 2 to 4 weeks after your surgery or until your doctor says it is okay. Avoid riding in a car for more than 30 minutes at a time for 2 to 4 weeks after surgery.
The best sleeping position to reduce your back pain after surgery is either on your back with your knees bent and a pillow under your knees or on your side with your knees bent and a pillow between your legs.
Short-term bed rest is a well-documented primary and adjuvant method of treatment for spinal and musculoskeletal conditions. Two days of bed rest is usually sufficient for the treatment of acute low back pain [7].
Most people return to work after 4 to 8 weeks, if their job isn't too strenuous. If your job involves a lot of driving, lifting heavy items or other strenuous activities, you may need to be off work for up to 3 to 6 months.
Sitting in a recliner with your feet above heart level allows gravity to naturally reduce stress and inflammation. This position jumpstarts your body's circulation and helps you recover from surgery faster. This is why most doctors will recommend a recliner for your recovery.
While it may seem easy to climb stairs a few days after surgery, this motion can put undue stress on your spine and slow down your recovery. You can go upstairs in the couple weeks following surgery, but it's best to limit stairs to once or twice a day in the first few weeks.
Walking around your house, or outside can have a tremendous effect on your recovery after spine surgery. Movement gets your blood flowing, and helps increase your mobility while your body focuses on mending the surgical wounds. Walking can also have a great impact on your mental and emotional health after surgery.
---You may shower as normal once your surgical incision is clean, dry, and without drainage. Prior to that, your incision should be kept dry and covered for showers with a watertight dressing. ---Hair washing is permissible while in the shower. ---You may clean wound with sterile saline or gentle soap and water.
Bowel injury is considered a rare but serious complication of spine surgery associated with high morbidity and mortality rates due to severe intra-abdominal sepsis and shock.
By reclining the body, you take the pressure off from your spine and allow your core muscles to rest, healing and making them stronger in the process. The reclined sleeping position is better than the upright position because sitting up can still stress your muscles.
If you've got backache after lying on your sofa it's because the soft upholstery encourages you to lounge, leaving your spine in a 'C' shape. This can add an excessive amount of pressure on the vertebrae and overstretch the discs, ligaments and muscles that support it, which can eventually lead to chronic backache.
A recliner may even provide better sleep than a bed for people with sleep apnea, GERD, or back pain. If you want to increase your comfort level, try to pack extra blankets to keep yourself warm and use extra pillows to support your back and neck to ensure that you have a decent nap or sleep in your recliner.
These items can provide the security and support you need to make your first steps after surgery. Shower chair: Spend extra time in the shower to allow the heat and steam to ease your aches. A shower chair can help you to do that, as well as make bathing safer and easier.