Depending on the type of spinal surgery and the patient’s health history, recovery can take from anywhere from a few weeks to several months. Rehabilitation, both physical therapy and occupational therapy, is key when it comes to healing and restoring mobility.

With proper treatment, many patients are able to regain their independence along with returning to work, hobbies and other activities they enjoyed before surgery.

Moving again with physical therapy

A licensed physical therapist will personalize the treatment plan to help a patient meet his or her specific recovery goals including:

• Treatment to restore mobility, reduce pain and prevent disability
• Therapy techniques including spinal manipulation
• Individualized exercise program for strengthening and flexibility
• Education of proper lifting, bending, sitting and sleeping techniques

A physical rehabilitation plan is designed to motivate patients, as well as restore and maintain motion so they can function and move forward with their lives.

Adapting with occupational therapy

Sometimes adaptations have to be made during the healing process. An occupational therapist helps evaluate a patient’s ability to function inside his or her home and at work. The therapist helps determine a plan to help the patient adapt to daily life including:

• Therapy to perform skills using adaptive techniques
• Facilitate coping skills
• Assess motivation to participate in activities performed prior to surgery
• Determine types of assistive devices to aid in independent living

Patients recovering from spinal surgery can also benefit from having their friends and family involved in their rehabilitation. Loves ones can provide emotional support and encourage a person to maintain as independent of lifestyle as possible.

The Rehabilitation Institute at Edward White Hospital has an experienced and specialized team of physical and occupational therapists to help patients on the road to recovery. For more information, call (727) 328-6290 or log onto our website at www.edwardwhitehospital.com.

Spinal pain is extremely common, particularly among older adults, and it can be excruciating. But experienced surgeons will not always recommend spinal surgery for every patient.

Determining if Surgery will be Successful

Edward White Hospital’s Orthopedic Surgeon Clinton Davis, MD has been treating patients with spinal pain and deformities for more than 20 years. He believes a successful procedure must begin with determining who will benefit from surgery and pinpointing the cause of the patient’s symptoms.

Some patients have multiple procedures, but are left to live their lives with the same pain they had before they went into the operating room.

“I have found that by far the most common reason for these failed surgeries is not a problem with surgical technique, but rather a failure to identify and correct the often subtle anatomic pathology which is the true cause of the pain,” Dr. Davis said.

It’s not always obvious which of the patient’s spinal abnormalities need to be corrected in order to relieve the specific pain— which is especially true in older patients since nearly all of them have multiple degenerative problems only some of which need to be addressed to relieve the pain.

Surgery Treatment Options

Edward White Hospital’s Spine Care Center offers several spinal surgical procedures including:

• Discectomy
• Lumbar Fusion
• Cervical Fusion
• Disc Replacement
• Laminectomy

Steps to Evaluating Patients

Before determining if surgery will likely benefit a patient, an experienced surgeon will:

• Listen to patient’s concerns
• Carefully conduct examination
• Correlating findings with diagnostic imaging tests including X-Rays or MRI scans

“It is the listening part of this process that I think is most commonly neglected by many surgeons,” Dr. Davis added.

Patients who suffer persistent pain from a pinched nerve will usually benefit from surgical decompression after all non-surgical treatments— exercises, pain management, medications and spinal injections— fail to work. But Davis said the patient’s spinal stability, deformity and balance must be taken into consideration along with other health conditions before any surgery is recommended.

Click here to listen to Dr. Davis’s podcast or for more information about the Spine Care Center at Edward White Hospital, including a referral to one of our specialists, call 1-888-243-3627.

A spine fracture is a very serious injury which can leave a person in severe pain that is made worse when he or she tries to move and in some cases hospitalization. Spine fractures can be caused from traumatic falls, car crashes and sports-related accidents. The fractures can also be caused by osteoporosis.

At Edward White Hospital, orthopedic surgeons work hand in hand with radiologists in the Diagnostic Imaging Department to offer a safer outpatient procedure that can provide immediate benefits.

What is Vertebroplasty?

Vertebroplasty is a minimally invasive procedure performed in the radiology department, not in an operating room. The radiologist uses a curved needle to enter the body of the spine, create a cavity and inject bone cement into the fracture site. Once the needle is removed, the concrete hardens within seconds securing the fracture.

Vertebroplasty takes approximately an hour to perform and doesn’t require a hospital stay.

“People’s lives have literally been changed. Getting off the table and not having any pain,” Director of Diagnostic Imaging Tony Raiano said.

Preparing for the procedure 

Once the patient’s cardiologist and radiologist determine he or she is a candidate for the procedure, preparation is minimal.

• Patient must have recent CT scan or MRI prior to procedure
• No eating after midnight before Vertebroplasty
• Upon arrival, staff reviews patient’s medical history, completes physical and has blood tests if necessary
• General anesthesia is administered

What recovery time?

After the procedure and the general anesthesia wears off, the patient is able to go home. Typically patients experience a 24-hour recovery time unless they have other heatlh conditions or are frail.

Most patients who have Vertebroplasty do not need rehabilitation or medications after and are able to get back to work and their everyday activities.

“Generally you come out of the procedure pain free,” Raiano added. “Now they’re going to be from bed ridden to up and at ‘em in a couple of days.”

For more information about Vertebroplasty at Edward White Hospital or other spine-related questions, call 1-877-4-HCA-DOCS.

Osteoarthritis, also known as “wear and tear” arthritis”, is a progressive breakdown of cartilage in the joints. The condition usually develops after many years of use often affecting people middle-aged or older.

People living with osteoarthritis usually have joint pain, chronic inflammation of the joint lining and limited movement of the affect joints including hands, feet, spine, hips and knees.

Risk factors and symptoms

Certain factors increase your chance of developing osteoarthritis including:

• Obesity
• Genetic Factors
• Injury to joints
• Occupations and physical activities that put stress on joints
• Neuromuscular disorders including diabetes

Tell your physician if you have any of these risk factors, or if you suffer any of the following symptoms:

• Mild to severe pain in a joint, especially after overuse or long periods of inactivity, including sitting for an extended amount of time
• A grating or creaking sound in the joint
• Swelling, stiffness and/or limited movement of the joint— especially when you first wake up
• Weakness in muscles around the sore joint
• Deformity of the joint

Reducing your chances

There are several precautions you can take to reduce your risk of developing osteoarthritis including:

§ Maintaining a healthy weight

§ Exercise regularly, especially lower impact activities including walking, swimming and yoga

§ Avoid repetitive motion and risky activities that could contribute to injuring your joints, especially if you’re over the age of 40

§ As you get older, certain activities may have to be modified, but you should continue to be active

Treatment options

Many osteoarthritis treatments can reduce joint pain and inflammation and improve joint function such as:

• Medications: Over-the-counter pain medications including acetaminophen, ibuprofen and naproxen, prescription pain medicine and/or pain relief creams can provide relief.

§ Heat and Ice: Applying heat for short periods several times a day can help joints and muscles move more easily and potentially lesson pain. Using ice packs after activities can also help.

• Weight Loss: Losing weight places less stress on the joints. Losing just five pounds can eliminate at least 15 pounds of stressful impact on joints affected by osteoarthritis.

• Exercise & Physical Therapy: Strength training, which helps strengthen the muscles that support arthritic joints, especially the knee, neck and lower back, may lessen pain and absorb stress around the joint. Swimming and water aerobics also offer good options because the activities do not put stress on the joints.

• Surgery: If none of the other options offer enough relief, a doctor may recommend surgery to reposition the bones and redistribute stress on the joint or remove loose pieces of bone or cartilage from joints. Joint replacement is another option in which a surgeon removes parts of the bones and creates an artificial joint with plastic or metal components.

Before considering any of these treatment options, you should consult with a physician. If you need a referral or have any questions, call our toll-free Consult-A-Nurse hotline at 1-877-4-HCA-DOCS.

Edward White Hospital is hosting a Boomeritis to Arthritis seminar on Wed. July 7 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Dr. Smith will provide updates for active baby boomers who may be at risk for orthopedic injuries. Call 1-888-243-3627 to make a reservation or log onto our website at www.edwhitehospital.com for more information.

Sources:

http://healthlibrary.epnet.com/GetContent.aspx?token=b696f142-edf4-4d7f-a7ba-dc89ceee0ace&chunkiid=11643&siteid=1a0b79d8-1489-11d4-81d4-00508b1249d5&url=http://www.edwhitehospital.com/

http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00227