Rehabilitation can help speed your recovery after undergoing laminectomy surgery to relieve back or neck pain. Although you may be able to return home as early as one day following surgery, you will be weak, and your doctor may recommend physical therapy. Your physical therapist will develop a rehabilitation plan that includes exercise, pain relief and tips to help you avoid further back or neck problems.
Identification
Surgeons perform laminectomies to relieve pressure on the spinal nerves caused by spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the space surrounding the spinal cord. Spinal stenosis can occur due to osteoarthritis, degeneration of discs in the spine, injuries or thickening of spinal column ligaments. While men and women suffer from stenosis equally, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons reports that women are more likely to experience symptoms that require treatment. During the procedure, your surgeon makes an incision in your back and removes the lamina, a portion of the bone near the back of a vertebra. Vertebrae are bony structures that make up your spinal column and house the spinal cord. Your surgeon may also remove thickened ligaments, bone spurs or other structures that can cause narrowing. Once the structures compressing the nerves are removed, the surgeon frees the trapped nerves to complete the surgery. Surgeons perform cervical laminectomies on vertebrae in the neck area or lumbar laminectomies on vertebrae in the lower back.
Exercise
Your physical therapist will teach you how to perform exercises that will strengthen your back muscles. If you have undergone a cervical laminectomy, you will perform exercises that strengthen your neck muscles and increase range of motion, while people that have had lumbar laminectomies will work on increasing range of motion and strengthening back muscles and the abdominal muscles that help support the back. During the first stage of physical therapy, your therapist will teach you gentle movements aimed at decreasing tightness and increasing flexibility. As you become more flexible, strengthening exercises will be added. eOrthopod Spine University reports that physical therapy is generally only needed for a total of four to six weeks.
Pain Relief
Your physical therapist can also provide treatments that may lessen any post-operative pain, inflammation and tightness in the muscles. Applications of heat and ice may reduce pain, but heat applied to the surface of the skin won't reach deep tissues. Ultrasound therapy, a treatment that uses high-frequency sound waves, is used to heat the deep tissues of the body and stimulate blood flow to the area. Your therapist may also use electrical stimulation treatment to reduce pain. During treatment, a harmless electrical current is aimed at your back or neck, preventing pain signals from reaching the brain. Soft tissue massage can be effective in relieving painful muscle spasms, loosening tight muscles and helping you regain flexibility in your neck or back.
Avoiding Back or Neck Pain
Practicing good posture and holding your neck and back in ways that won't strain these structures can help you avoid pain. Your therapist will provide techniques to ensure that you are maintaining proper position and posture, particularly while lifting or performing activities required by your job. Your therapist may also suggest that you obtain certain devices that may help keep your back or neck in a safe position, such as a special pillow that will help support your neck while you sleep.
