Friday, April 2, 2010

How to sleep after spine surgery

The discomfort and pain of cervical spine surgery leaves its patients without the ability to sleep throughout the entire night. Short intervals of sleep after spine surgery are to be expected due to the neck brace and other sleeping accommodation which must be made in order to protect the back from further damage. In Los Angeles spine surgery is usually as a last resort for those patients who have severe back pain and nothing else seems to subside the pain. Spine surgery is usually avoided till the end because of the risk and the down time. The down time for every back surgery varies and the pain can be minimal if the procedure was that of minimally invasive back surgery Los Angeles back surgeons give those who have recently undergone back surgery a few tips on how to sleep after having spine surgery.

Los Angeles spine surgery

After having spine surgery Los Angeles pine surgeons say it’s essential that the patient takes wearing the neck or back brace very seriously. Place the cervical collar around the neck; it must be secure but not too tight where it constricts breathing. The brace should constrict neck movement to protect the area in which surgery was done.

Do not try to get in bed alone, the strength used to get in the bed come from the back and that will over exert the back and possibly injure the site once more. Sit at the edge of the bed and lie down slowly using the other persons help to lay straight down. Pivot from a sitting a sitting position, the upper body must be perpendicular to the bed rotate the buttocks and bring the legs up onto the bed.

If the patient must get out of bed at night he or she should do so in a log roll position. The log roll position consists of the hips, shoulders and neck all turn at the same time keeping the spine straight. This should also not be attempted alone because the back is still very fragile and the pain one could cause on themselves could be unbearable.

Patients generally need as incline and generally their all different levels whatever feels more comfortable to that patient. In order to keep the spinal cord in its normal position a spine surgeon Los Angeles located suggest placing a pillow beneath the knees to also eliminate the stress in the lower back

In order to help the muscles relax and the pain subside little by little take the medications as prescribed to by your doctor.