The discomfort felt by pain in the body can be jarring, depending on your pain tolerance level. Even when over-the-counter medications work to soothe your pain, there is only so much of that which works before you reach a sort of immunity to it. Those kinds of piercing pains can only be helped with prescription drugs and in many cases require surgery. When it comes to our backs and spine, the thought of surgery brings the scary thoughts of surgical issues arising, including paralysis. Continue reading to discover some different types of spine surgery and five ways that spine surgery can be beneficial long term.
Our spines run along our backs and are our body’s central support structure. Our spines help us walk, twist, sit, stand, and bend. It joins the many parts of our musculoskeletal system. When we have pain in our spinal area, it could be an indication of damage requiring surgery. Some different types of spine surgery are:
Disk replacement surgery.
Spinal laminectomy/decompression surgery.
Nucleoplasty/Plasma disk decompression surgery.
Spinal fusion surgery.
Although scary to think about spine surgery, the success rate of it is not perfect but very high. Some of the long term benefits of spine surgery include:
Improved Physical Fitness
When you are suffering from back pain that requires surgery, you aren’t in a condition to be physically active. There may be times when you cannot get out of bed, let alone work to maintain your physical fitness.
However, after back surgery and rehabilitation, you will be able to move better and will want to get into the best shape possible.
You Move Around Better
Not only are you able to get up out of bed or a chair, but you can also twist, bend, sit and stand without the pain that accompanied that kind of movement previously. Surgery will help restore your function and get you back to living uninhibited. Immediately after surgery, your doctor will encourage you to start moving around. Early movement is good for overall health and prevents complications, including blood clots, pneumonia, constipation and gas, and breathing problems.
In addition to early mobility, having spine surgery will help you have better mobility for years to come.
Your Productivity Increases
In addition to being able to return to work after having spine surgery, your productivity will increase because the back pain doesn’t limit you.
Not only are you able to go back to work after having spine surgery, but your productivity will also increase.
The right spine specialist will help you understand that there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes back surgery. However, corrective surgery will relieve the pain and have you as close to your old self as possible for a long time after surgery.
You Take Less Pain Medication
Pain medication can be a drag before surgery and after surgery. However, as you recover from your surgery and regain strength, you will find that you need less pain medication every day. Your doctors will thoroughly go over what kind of pain is expected post-surgery and how you should medicate. Many say that it can take up to six weeks to fully realize a pain-free day and the surgery is worth the wait.
You Are in a Better Mood
As stated above, constant pain can be agonizing. It leaves individuals unknowingly feeling the blues or even depression. Most often that is because the pain is restricting their lives. However, after surgery and recovery when life can resume as close to normal as possible, many begin to realize that their blue feelings are disappearing and they feel like a cloud is lifting. Being able to enjoy family and friends without the constant pain is freeing. Having spine surgery to relieve constant pain leaves many in a better mood a long time after surgery.
Being limited by back pain can take away the quality of life. In addition to not being able to get around freely, chronic back pain can leave individuals with feels of depression or overall blue. However, a spine specialist and spine surgery can improve your life and add years of quality to your life. If you are suffering back pain and have read the benefits above, find a specialist and take back control of your life.
