A treatment program following microdiscectomy surgery involves medication for pain management including anti-inflammatory drugs and pain pills, stretching exercises, back strengthening exercises and a plan to gradually resume physical activity such as a walking program. It may be a few weeks before strengthening exercises are advisable, but up to 15 minutes a day of exercises for stretching and building strength is typically help for four to 12 weeks after surgery.
Abdominal Strengthening Exercises
Strengthening the abs is part of the recovery for a microdiscectomy. Easy exercises lead to harder exercises as the abs become more able to handle stress. The easiest of the abdominal progression exercises is performed face up on the floor with the back supported by the ground and using no weight other than your body. To do this exercise, lie on your back and hold your arms an inch from the floor at your sides. Turn your hands so that your thumbs are on top. Tighten your abs to flatten your lower back. Then, raise your right arm above your head and an inch from the floor. The pinky finger is now on top. Do not allow movement in your lower back at this time. Bring the arm back to the starting position and raise the other arm. Continue to alternate without letting your back up.
A more difficult way to do this exercise is to move your legs as well. From the starting position described, bend your knees into your chest. As you raise your right arm overhead, straighten your left leg. Lower the right arm and raise the left as you bend your left leg and extend the right leg. The arms stay about an inch from the floor but the legs are 45 to 60 degrees up when straight and at a 90-degree angle to the floor when bent. Wearing ankle and wrist weights is the most challenging way to do the exercise.
Stretching Exercise
The safest stretch to perform after surgery is the supine lower back and hamstring stretch. To perform this stretch, lie on your back with your legs straight and your hands resting on your stomach or the floor. Bend your knees and flex your hips as much as possible toward your chest. Then, straighten your legs to full extension above you. You should feel the lower back and the backs of your legs stretch during this exercise. Stretching for rehabilitation will likely cause some discomfort. You should stretch as far as you can until you feel pain, but do not force yourself to go beyond this point..
Walking
Walking is a gentle exercise that increases mobility, heals recovery and doesn't stress the back. Generally, working up to a three-mile walk daily is prescribed for reducing pain brought on from decreased movement after surgery. Pain from surgery causes people to move less, and moving around less causes more pain. Therefore, getting up and moving around with a low impact activity such as walking may be ideal.
References
- Dr. A. Jay Khanna: Microdiscectomy
- "BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders"; The immediate and long-term effects of exercise and patient education on physical, functional, and quality-of-life outcome measures after single-level lumbar microdiscectomy; David M Selkowitz et al.; 2006
- "BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders"; Figure 3 exercise illustration; 2006
- Spine-Health: Stretching Exercise after Microdiscectomy Surgery
