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Undergoing a major surgery can have a number of different effects on your life. While these procedures are often necessary to help heal certain parts of your body, they can often involve a lengthy or involved recovery process. Depending on the severity of your situation or the complexity of the type of surgery, you will be taking different steps in the weeks after the operation. If you are someone who lives a particularly active lifestyle, this may mean some changes to your day-to-day life.
Getting back into shape after surgery can mean something different for everyone. Maybe you need physical therapy to relearn some basic motor functions or maybe you’re ready to jump back into a full exercise routine. The key is to start getting back into the swing of things safely and carefully. This is especially true and necessary if you’re recovering from spinal cord or neck surgery. These parts of your body branch into and affect so many different parts of your anatomy, so you need to be particularly careful about your recovery. Let’s take a look at a few of the steps you can take to get yourself back into shape after neck surgery.
Follow the doctor-recommended recovery guidelines.
Before you can even think about exercise or getting back into shape, you need to first get through your recovery period. The first week or couple of weeks will be all about rest and recovery. Consult your surgeon and doctors to understand how to follow the basic cervical neck surgery recovery guide. A neck or spine surgery is something to take seriously, so you want to stick to the rules that the experts lay out. This may be a time for pain medication and visits to the physical therapist to eliminate any residual discomfort.
Depending on the type of surgery you underwent, you’ll have a longer or shorter recovery process. A simple incision will take a shorter amount of time than a full fusion surgery or a recovery that requires a neck brace. Monitor your recovery pace to know when you can get back to normal activities. Once you are cleared for that, you can start to consider different options for getting back into shape.
Pace yourself and take things slow.
After undergoing major surgery, many people are super anxious to get back to a sense of normalcy. You’re going to get into the gym and try to push yourself the same way you did before your surgical procedure. This can actually be incredibly harmful. If you rush into anything before you’ve made a full recovery, you could end up harming your body further. As frustrating as it may be, this is a time to pace yourself. Take things slow and watch out for your recovery health above anything else. You’ll be back to full speed ahead in no time.
Look for assistance where you need it.
Recovery can be a complicated process. Remember it’s okay to ask for help when you need it. Look for ways to make your life a little easier as you get back into shape after surgery. Simple things like getting your groceries from a food or water delivery company or asking friends and family to help you run some simple errands can help you lighten your personal load. This way, you can focus more on your actual recovery.
Keep your mental health in shape as well.
When you’re recovering from something like neck surgery, your physical health isn’t the only thing you’ll need to monitor. Check in with your overall health to be sure you’re doing okay. It can be mentally draining to go through a big surgery and have different limitations on your life. Consider seeing a therapist or taking other steps to support your own mental health during this time.
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