Exercise after spinal surgery

ladarius93
ladarius93 Posts: 47 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
My mom had spinal fusion surgery in 2012. Right after surgery, she was a size 8-10, but has since gained the weight back and is a size 14. The majority of her weight is around her belly area. She can do any bending, squatting, heavy lifting over her head or any extensive jumping. WHAT CAN MY MOM DO? She has health problems with HBP, cholesterol, heart palpitations. Please help!

Replies

  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
    She can diet , eat healthy, count calories That is how she will lise weight if she wants.

    Can she swim? i know people with spinal fusion that swim, and do yoga and pilates. My son's whole back is fused and his dr told him he can return to "normal activities" riding bike, swiming etc. He's just not allowed to play football or impact sports, or go on roller coasters. What does her doctor say she can do? can she walk? walking is really good exercise.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    To lose weight, she only needs to reduce her calorie intake. No exercise is required for weight loss. Have her log all her food on MFP, weighing everything a digital food scale.

    For exercise, please ask her doctor or physical therapist to prescribe a routine for her. Following generic advice from the internet could injure her - even if it worked for someone else.

    By the way, for HBP, the DASH diet can help: :+1:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DASH_diet
  • ladarius93
    ladarius93 Posts: 47 Member
    SonyaCele wrote: »
    She can diet , eat healthy, count calories That is how she will lise weight if she wants.

    Can she swim? i know people with spinal fusion that swim, and do yoga and pilates. My son's whole back is fused and his dr told him he can return to "normal activities" riding bike, swiming etc. He's just not allowed to play football or impact sports, or go on roller coasters. What does her doctor say she can do? can she walk? walking is really good exercise.

    No, she can't swim. I did think about trying to get her enrolled in water aerobics. Yoga ans pilates isn't allowed because of her rods and cages in lower back. She tried an exercise bike, but after about 5 minutes, she's in excruciating pain in her lower back and it'll have her down for daaaayyyyyyssssss. She does walk and count her calories. She never was a junk food person. Fruit and veggies are a must.
  • teetertatertango
    teetertatertango Posts: 229 Member
    Awesome that you are trying to help your mom.

    Water aerobics sounds like something to try.

    Definitely worth getting a routine from a physical therapist. They want to see people moving as much as they can without hurting themselves.

    As far as diet, I am going to guess that she is eating a high carbohydrate low fat diet? Upping her protein while reducing her carbs a bit might help her be more satisfied on the lower amount of calories she now needs with her reduced activity.
  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
    if she's in so much pain, and isn't allowed to do yoga which is the gentlest type of exercise, she should to go back to her doctor.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,972 Member
    Go to a an orthopedist to get direction. No one here knows the actual extent of limited motion she may have, so asking for advice wouldn't be ideal.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • sunnybeaches105
    sunnybeaches105 Posts: 2,831 Member
    She needs to talk to her doctor or physiotherapist, but can she simply walk? Walking combined with a calorie deficit can be very helpful.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    Yep she need to see a medical professional to see what sort of movement is okay
  • ajsutter0396
    ajsutter0396 Posts: 10 Member
    Can she get a referral for physical therapy? I have a spinal fusion. I don't do high impact like box jumps, jump rope, running, etc but can do yoga and Pilates with adjustments. PT can help her strengthen her core.
  • PinkyPan1
    PinkyPan1 Posts: 3,018 Member
    I have also had spinal fusion surgery...twice. I have tittanium from my L3-4 to S1. Until a heart attack 2 years ago I did very little and gained over 25 pounds. I was advised to walk a mile day and then gradually build up the distance. I joined MFP and started walking. I lost 23 pounds in 5 months through walking and changing my eating habits. Have her check out Leslie Sansone Walk at Home videos. She has some very good low impact walks. https://youtu.be/ndVjwkaLGDk

    My best advise is to walk and walk a lot. I also found that doing Qigong and Tai Chi significantly helped me gain flexibility and balance.
    https://youtu.be/PNtWqDxwwMg
    https://youtu.be/3K-0JpiJu-o

    I now golf...yes, golf 5-6 times a week. I walk the course and pull my clubs. I would never in my wildest dreams thought I would swing a golf club. I just took up golf last year and I have improved by leaps and bounds. I am now able to play as well as my husband who has been golfing for over 20 years.

    I have worked hard to regain my health and fitness. It has not been easy for a moment. I have no doubt that your mother can do the same with a good support system and willingness to try.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    You said she can bend, squat, jump, and lift overhead. So she can do those things. What else are you thinking of?
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    lorrpb wrote: »
    You said she can bend, squat, jump, and lift overhead. So she can do those things. What else are you thinking of?

    I think she meant to type "can't". ;)
  • Lofteren
    Lofteren Posts: 960 Member
    To answer your question we need a lot more info. What levels were fused? Did they use anterior hardware, posterior hardware or both? Did they remove the whole disc and insert cages with bone graft? Did the spine fully fuse after the surgery? If they used a posterior approach with pedicle screws do you have IOM reports with the pedicle screw testing values? Post op EMG or MRI reports?
  • dougii
    dougii Posts: 679 Member
    First - this question can really only be answered by her spinal surgeon who knows her issues first hand.

    Second - my wife has been through a full spinal fusion surgery (T2 - L4 fused; 2 rods, 25 screws) and had 5 of her left ribs removed; 10 years later a 2nd surgery to remove all of the hardware due to complications. She currently walks, runs (slowly), rows, lifts weights and can use any machine she chooses at the gym. It took years after the first surgery to build her fitness back to a normal level - it all began with very short walks and a goal of adding one more telephone pole in distance every week. She is currently in week 7 of C25K and has completed 5K races in years past. Time. patience, and doctor's approval are all needed.

    Best of luck to you and your mom as she works through this!
  • ROBOTFOOD
    ROBOTFOOD Posts: 5,527 Member
    I have 2 spine fusions (scoliosis) 59 degree double s curve before, 22 after. Half of my spine is fused. It took a while, but I can do anything I want. Powerlift, snowboard, wakeboard, skateboard, run, football etc. I will say that having a fused spine significantly reduces you're bench arch capabilities lol. I manage. I wear a belt on all compounds. It does get sore from time to time. But I'm tough and usually don't notice anything. I once snapped my arm snowboarding and didn't know it. I thought I just got a bad bruise. I'm pretty careful though. Long warm ups etc.
    1st fusion at 14 (major), second at 26 (minor). I'm almost 28 now.

Categories