Recovering from spinal cord surgery

Spinal cord injuries are the result of both accidents and lifestyle habits. We can avoid developing a weak spine by adjusting our lifestyles. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for accidents. A car accident or slipping over can lead to tremendous long-term discomfort and pain with little we can do to prevent these damages, assuming you're wearing your seatbelt and not running on unstable surfaces. Nonetheless, there are ways we can tackle this issue using advances in medical science. Spine surgery can have incredible effects on your quality of life. Let’s investigate how you can plan your recovery after a surgery. Please note that timestamps are generalized and dependent on your health and recovery plan.

Spine surgery is one of the more common types of surgery, and most are minimally invasive.  Let’s take a look at what spine surgery can do for you.

Firstly, when you’re in the hospital, you may have one of these surgeries depending on what type of damage you have incurred.  

·       Diskectomy – surgery to remove all or part of your disk

·       Foraminotory – surgery to widen the opening in your back where nerve roots leave your spinal column

·       Laminectomy – surgery to remove the lamina, two small bones that make up a vertebra, or bone spurs in your back, to take pressure off your spinal nerves or spinal column

·       Spinal fusion – the fusing of two bones together in your back to correct problems in your spine

Your physician will give you a bespoke plan relating to your damage and recovery plan.

Depending on your surgery, recovery could take anywhere between 3 weeks to 6 months to recover. Other conditions that could affect your recovery is your lifestyle and bodily condition before the surgery.

Your bandages have a lifespan of approximately 9 days.  Check to see if the area has changed colour, swollen, or begins to open up. If this happens, contact your surgeon immediately. If there are no issues, you may begin to shower again. Wait 5 days before showering, and cover the incision with plastic wrap. Do not allow shower from the head to spray the wounded area. You should also want to avoid stairs for the first week or so.

Once a few weeks have passed, and the healing process is underway, you should be attempting to work your way into your previous routine. Before continuing your rehab, please note: do not sit still for extended periods of time, and inform yourself on proper posture by reading this. If you are supported by a brace or corset, you should be wearing it when sitting and walking, however, it would be unnecessary to wear the brace when you are sitting for short periods of time or using the bathroom at night. Finally, do not drive for the first 2 weeks.

Now is the point where, as opposed to what you should avoid, we can start looking at how you can actively help the healing process.

Around the 4 week stage, generally, you should be taking light walks to strengthen surrounding areas. Increase the speed or duration of the walk slowly. This allows the spine to heal itself within an active body and correct itself. A sedentary lifestyle will encourage previous problems to return. Continue to up your exercise slowly as your spine recovers.

Please note, you should contact your surgeon immediately if you experience any of the following:

·        Chills or a fever of 101°F (38.3°C), or higher

·        More pain where you had your surgery

·        Drainage from the wound or the drainage is green or yellow

·        Lose feeling or have a change of feeling in your arms (if you had neck surgery) or your legs and feet (if you had lower back surgery)

·        Chest pain, shortness of breath

·        Swelling

·        Calf pain

·        Your back pain worsens and does not get better with rest and/or pain medicine

·        Difficulty urinating and controlling your bowel movements

If this routine does not help, or you need medical attention, please contact us at Mount Sinai Department of Rehabilitative Medicine. A bespoke plan will be necessary if you suffer from other medical problems. Contact our switchboard on: (212) 241-6321

Why SAD affects us in the winter

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a state of depression that stems from the changing of the season, specifically – the summer to winter. In the winter, the days get shorter, it is cloudy and cold – but SAD isn’t a prophetic fallacy – it’s a physical reaction to a lack of vitamin D. Although there is a myriad of reasons as to how this depressive state can be triggered, none is more widely accepted than the vitamin D deficiency the body undergoes during the winter. A lack of vitamin D will create a chain reaction with other symptoms of SAD, which then feed into other depressive behaviours, in turn worsening the state of affairs. Let’s look at what vitamin D deficiency does to the human body.

Vitamin D, like all vitamins, it is a nutrient we make in our body; and most it comes from the sun. But vitamin D is unique as it is a hormone and not a nutrient like other vitamins. It works with calcium and phosphorus to create and maintain healthy bones, muscles, and teeth. Without enough vitamin D, your body will not be able to absorb calcium and other important nutrients that allow our body to function. In turn, many people with low levels of vitamin D will experience rickets, osteomalacia alongside other muscle and bone deficiencies. This leads us to be being tired, frustrated that our bodies are not functioning as it should be, and possibly lowering our immune system.

Vitamin D also has a role in maintaining stable brain hormones. Serotonin, the hormone associated with happiness, rises with the exposure to bright light – and drops in correlation with decreased sun exposure. As understood by research in medical science, people with lower vitamin D are 11 times more prone to be depressed than those with healthy does. A low level of vitamin D will cause a deficiency in serotonin, causing depressive-like behaviours to occur.

If we amalgamate these two factors, we see instantly that low vitamin D, caused by reduced sun exposure, is responsible for making us tired and unhappy. These physical deprivations feed into mental manifestations of psychological dispositions – such as bipolar – or other types of depression. It also suppresses the immune system, which can have a knock-on effect on making us ill, and then beginning the “cycle of depression”.

If you would like to learn more about how the cycle of depression works, click here.

SAD can have an extremely negative impact on your quality of life. If you need a consultation or are suffering from any of the symptoms outlined at the end of the article, please contact us on (212) 241-6321 to book an appointment.

Tips for a Good Night's Sleep

There is nothing better than having a good night's sleep at the end of a long work day. However, in the US, 30% of the population suffers from insomnia, with this rising to between 40% and 60% among those above 60. Often it is caused by stress or anxiety, and may be fixed as this stress is removed. However, for those suffering more long-term sleep loss other measures must be taken to improve the situation.

Developing a Sleep Schedule

One important action to take is to implement a sleep schedule. By making sure you go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning your body will get into a cycle, helping you to wake up feeling more rested. While regular sleep patterns are important, they will not be as effective if other factors are not taken into account. Midday naps can actually leave you feeling more tired, as they adjust the body's internal clock. If you must have a nap it should be kept to 10-30 minutes and should be had during mid-afternoon. Similarly, using electronic devices before bedtime can upset rest as the light from them resets the body's circadian rhythm by imitating daylight. In order to get the best sleep possible, all electronics should be turned off an hour before sleep. Furthermore, lights should be dimmed 2-3 hours before bed, as this will stimulate the brain to produce melatonin, the hormone that induces sleep.

Regulating Food Intake and Exercise

It is essential to cut out substances such as nicotine and caffeine before bed, as both are stimulants that will keep you awake. It is also best to avoid having a nightcap as, while alcohol will initially make you fall into a deep sleep, as it wears off you will spend less time in this deep sleep and more in the lighter REM stage of sleep resulting in waking up feeling lethargic.

While it may be a myth that eating cheese before bedtime will give you nightmares, it will definitely make it more difficult to get a good night's rest. Eating just before dinner will cause the body to release cortisol, a hormone involved in the metabolism of food, which decreases secretion of melatonin, thus making you more likely to wake up in the middle of the night. Likewise, it is best to keep late-night exercise to a minimum. Working out in the middle of the day can help to tire you out, and thus help encourage sleep. However, exercising releases energy which, if done just before bed, will keep delay sleep. Light exercise, such as stretching or yoga can be beneficial, as it relaxes the body.

See a Doctor

Often the measures mentioned above are sufficient to restore good sleep, however, occasionally symptoms can persist. If sleeplessness lasts a month or longer it may be necessary to see a doctor, who can ascertain if the cause is related to another health condition, such as acid reflux or asthma. Alternatively it could be an adverse effect of medication you are taking.