Tag: Spine Doctor

11 Dec 2022
How to sleep with herinated disc and sciatica

How to sleep with herniated disc and sciatica

Sciatica is caused due to impingement on your sciatica nerve. It’s typically due to an injured disc in the lower back of your body. The most common sign of sciatica is intense pain in the nerve. The pain usually ranges from moderate to severe and usually is felt on one side.

Best sleeping position for sciatica

  • Keep your eyes on yourself.

Sleeping on your back can ease discomfort by relieving pressure off your nerves that are irritated.

How to set up:

  1. Lay on your bed on your side with the injured part placed on the top for the sleeping position for sciatica.
  2. If there’s a gap between the waist and the mattress, place it on a pillow to help reduce the side bend.
  • Put a pillow between your knees.

A pillow between your knees can help keep your spine and pelvis in a neutral posture. It also stops your legs of yours from pivoting throughout the night. Hence it is an accurate sleeping position for sciatica

How to set up a sleeping position for sciatica:

  1. Begin by placing your shoulder on the mattress, then place your entire body on your mattress.
  2. Relax your knees and place them on a thin pillow between them.
  3. You could also place a small pillow under your waist if there’s space.
  • Fetal position

The fetal position can open up the space between your vertebrae. It can help relieve back pain that is caused by herniated discs. But, some experience pain that is worsened by it.

If you feel uncomfortable in the fetal posture, consider one of the alternatives on this list.

How to set up sleep for herniated disc:

  1. Relax on your side and raise your knees towards your chest until your body forms a “C.”
  2. You could also put pillows between your knees or beneath your waist.
  • You can lie on your back by having a pillow between your knees

Laying back on your back can help to distribute your weight evenly over your back and hence is a good position to sleep with lower back pain and sciatica. In addition, placing a pillow of a suitable thickness between your knees can assist in maintaining the curvature of your spine by stretching your hips.

How to set it up:

  1. Relax on your back with an extra pillow on your head for assistance.
  2. Place one or two pillows beneath your knees. Then, place your legs comfortably against your mattress.
  • You can sleep on the floor.

How to set up a sleeping position for a slipped disc:

  1. Set up a thin mat, like a yoga mat or a camping mat, on the ground where you plan to lay.
  2. Lay down in any of the above positions or wherever you feel comfortable.

The softness of the surface could cause the spine to move out of alignment. However, sleeping on the floor can help you maintain your spine in a straight line

How to sit and sleep with a herniated disc

A herniated disc may occur at any point along the spine from the neck down to the lower back. It is typically the result of age or something as easy as a strong sneeze, lifting heavy objects, or sleeping in a slouchy place.

Better options are sleeping on your back or side to sleep with lower back pain and sciatica. Side sleepers can put a cushion between the knees to relieve any strain on the hips or lift their legs with a pillow. You could also put an unrolled towel between the waist of your body and the mattress while lying on your back. Always lie on your side so that it doesn’t cause any discomfort.

The ideal sleep with a herniated disc would be lying on your back. The position of lying on your back will keep the spine and vertebrae in an even posture and reduce the risk of squeezing the nerve. To increase comfort, place the pillow or towel between your knees and lower back to sleep with lower back pain and sciatica. A wedge-shaped pillow that elevates your ankles and legs can reduce the burden on your herniated disc and is an ideal position to sleep with a herniated disc.

29 Nov 2022
How long does it take spinal surgery

How long does it take to walk after spinal surgery?

The recovery time required after a lumbral depression surgery depends on your fitness level. Hence, it is recommended that the patients have a physiotherapy session before undergoing surgery.

On the day of surgery, after the procedure is done, it is recommended for the patient to walk and move around. You would be discharged around 1 to 4 days after the surgery.

Spinal cord surgery recovery time is anywhere between 4 to 6 weeks. After that, you will have a relaxed level of mobility. The spinal surgery recovery time mainly depends on the severity of the injury and symptoms before the surgery.

After you wake up from the lumbar decompression surgery, you will feel soreness in your back and will have one or more tubes attached to the body. It would include the following:

  • Intravenous drip would ensure hydration levels in the body.
  • Drain to remove any excess fluid from the body.
  • A thin, flexible tube ( catheter) is inserted in the urethra if you face micturition issues.
  • Pump to inject painkillers directly into the veins.

These tubes remain attached to the body for a short time after surgery.

Immediately after the surgery, you would experience some extent of pain in the area. Pain relief medicines would be given during the spine surgery recovery time. You would notice an immediate improvement in the original leg pain, but if you don’t see so, inform the doctor.

Usually, very few people face problems in their postoperative period. It is mostly temporary, but in rare cases, if nerve damage occurs, it can interfere with bladder and leg movements. During the spinal surgery recovery time, make sure to inform each detail to the doctor.

The pain would decrease in around 6 weeks of the spine surgery recovery time to disappear completely.

Stitches

 

Doctors might do stitches or staples to close the cuts and incisions on the surgical site. Stitches done in deep layers of the skin would dissolve themselves and don’t need to be removed. Instead, the non-dissolvable stitches would be removed 5 to 10 days after the surgery.

The stitches are covered by simple adhesive dressing like plaster. Make sure to keep it dry. After the stitches are removed, you can usually take a bath.

Rehabilitation

 

After the surgery, the doctor would want you to move around and walk for a smooth and shorter spinal surgery recovery time. Inactivity can cause blood clot development in the leg (DVT). 

After the surgery, a physiotherapist would help you regain strength and movement after the surgery. In addition, they would train you with some exercises and activities, which would help in faster spinal surgery recovery time.

At home

 

It takes 1 to 4 days for the patient to return to their home. The time duration of hospital stay depends on the extent of the surgery, your health conditions and the rate of spinal cord surgery recovery time.

Remember to keep your activity level as instructed when you are at home and then gradually increase it. You would require help in the first week after the surgery. Having an active routine would facilitate the spine surgery recovery time. Follow all the instructions of the doctor and physiotherapist. Avoid sitting or standing in the same posture or position for more than 15 to 20 minutes, as it can make your muscles stiff and sore. 

Walking is an easy way of maintaining an active routine. Avoid getting into heavy weight lifting, sudden twists and jerks to the muscle when performing daily activities. Instead, increase your limits and the extent of work at a slow pace.

After the surgery, you would have to go for follow-up appointments during your spinal cord surgery recovery time. It is done to check the progress of the operated area and look for any symptoms or infections in the wound area.

Work

 

You can resume your work after your doctor has allowed you. It depends on the rate of your recovery as well as the kind of job you do. For low-activity level jobs, you can resume your usual routine 4 to 8 weeks after the surgery and 3 to 6 months for high-level physical activity jobs.

 

If you follow these tips, you can speed up the recovery time. Contact your doctor for any queries. 

 

30 Oct 2022
spine surgery treatments

Spine Surgery: Types And It’s Procedure

Is surgery a must to cure the problem, or would a spine treatment without surgery be more feasible? Such questions could arise when it comes to spine surgery. If at all surgery is necessary, of the types of spine surgery, which one is better – keyhole surgery or traditional spine surgery? Back surgery helps to treat spine problems and relieve back pain, but surgery is not always necessary. Many of the back issues resolve with no external aid or can be treated with conventional spine treatment without surgery.

When do you need spine surgery?

When a person suffers from symptoms related to spine issues, they need to get evaluated by a primary care physician. For example, if diagnosed with back or neck pain, the orthopaedist advises them to maintain stable physical posture or activity, proper weight, and diet. If the problem persists, physical therapy, OTC medicines, or anti-inflammatory medication is the next step or treatment suggested by a doctor.

Types of Spine Surgery Procedures

Severe spinal conditions are treated using various types of spine surgery:

Decompression procedures:

These spine surgery types try to relieve symptoms caused due to pressure or to decompress the spinal cord that has been compressed. Loose ligaments, thickening of ligaments, bulging discs, and new bone growth can shrink the space of the spinal canal and the spinal nerve openings, causing pain. In addition, it may lead to paralysis due to excess pressure on spinal nerves, along with causing bladder and bowel movement problems.

Only fixation (spinal instrumentation) procedures

It is one of the spine surgery types that utilise devices during spine surgery. This surgical procedure involves implantation on titanium or titanium alloy, steel or non-metallic spinal instruments in spines. Different types of medical implants are available to treat spinal disorders in people of all ages. However, it cannot provide a permanent solution to spinal instability unless spinal fusion is done.

Spinal Fusion Procedures

Spinal fusion is one of the spine surgery types in which two bones are fused using a bone graft to grow the bony surfaces together. Its medical term is arthrodesis. During the primary surgical procedure, a bone graft is taken from an autologous patient or from others called allograft bone. In some foreign centres, instead of bone grafting, Bone morphogenetic protein is being used. It is still in the evaluation phase. 

 

Both Spinal Fusion and Spinal Instrumentation Combined

Spinal fusion, along with spinal instrumentation, is required for the successful correction of spinal deformities. The instrumentation renders stability and aids in maintaining the correction when the fusion of bones is still happening. Internal fixation of devices in the spine leads to an increased rate of solid arthrodesis. The spinal instruments will also fail due to repeated stress if the spinal fusion fails.

Spiral Correction Procedures for Deformities like Kyphosis and Scoliosis

A deformity is any spine structure alteration compared to the standard shape. A spinal deformity may develop because of any condition causing curvature and twisting of the spine- however, there are many procedures to correct mild to extreme spinal deformities. Some of the main types of spine surgery include osteotomy, spinopelvic fixation, pedicle subtraction ostomy, and vertebral column resection. These procedures differ from person to person.

 

Osteotomy involves removing bone from the deformed vertebral column. This procedure is performed at different levels, and about 10-20 degrees of correction are made at every level. Therefore, it is used to rectify the long curves of kyphosis or ankylosing spondylitis condition. 

 

The pedicle subtraction osteotomy is similar to the osteotomy procedure. Ankylosing spondylitis, flatback syndrome, angular kyphosis, and a few c-shaped scoliosis.

 

The vertebral column resection (VCR) removes the entire vertebra to correct and stabilise the spinal cord. This procedure is more complex and needs professionals with rich expertise and experience. The removed vertebra is replaced with spinal instruments such as bone grafts and cages. A system coupled with a screw and rod implanted in the spine helps restore stability when the bone graft is healing. This procedure can yield nearly a correction of 80 degrees or more. 

 

If you are looking for spine treatment without surgery, the experts at Germanten Hospital might be able to help you with little to no complications. So book an appointment at Germanten today!