My Spine - Lumbar
Rehabilitation
It is incredibly important to get a lot of rest and exercise following your sur-
gery. Do not try to rush back to work. It is important to walk for exercise and
also exercise in conjunction with the guidelines from your physiotherapist.
You may perform activities only as prescribed by your specialist. You should
refrain from exercises that involve impact for at least three months. This
would include jogging, mountain biking and equestrian pursuits.
Follow-up
Routinely you will receive a date for your follow-up appointment with your
specialist. This may vary from anything between two and six weeks, but you
will be seen earlier if there are any complications. In cases of spinal fusion
you would usually undergo an X-ray of your back a few months after the
operation to evaluate the bone growth between the two vertebrae; this is cov-
ered in the chapter Lumbar Fusion. It is important that this bony growth takes
place, otherwise the operation might have to be repeated.
It is important to realise that you will have to protect your back for the rest of
your life and apply good back habits (see the chapter Everyday Life).
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