Did you just got discharged after your back surgery and feeling miserable while sitting due to the pain?
Well, no worries, we have got your back! In this piece of information, you will get to know all the tips for sitting after back surgery to reduce your pain. However, the honest piece of advice is to follow your doctors’ precautions after the surgery.
So, sitting exerts external stress to the back after the surgery while making the simplest task a nightmare. Therefore, patients are asked to be more careful with their movements during the first six months of the surgery. The doctors’ precaution sitting time is limited to 20 minutes during the first two weeks after surgery.
However, to recover fast, it is important to maintain a proper balance of the body while sitting. So, lets’ dig in to find the correct way to maintain a proper balance without a painful journey!
Choose A Correct Chair To Sit
However, most of us are used to spend our time in 9-5 office jobs, but a person with surgery may need extra care while sitting and posturing himself. Therefore, choosing a comfortable and correct chair to retain a good posture without stressing his operated back is a good idea.
Although the chairs in our offices may be comfortable, they usually result in bad postures. As they are not fitted well, or you can say they are not made to support your back for a prolonged time.
Moreover, having a correct chair to sit in with the exact posture helps you avoid straining your back. However, the need for the correct chair becomes a necessity after the back surgery. Therefore, most doctors recommend ergonomic office chairs.
These chairs are the best for the patients with lower back surgery because it comes with an adjustable setting for their comfort. Moreover, they are specially designed to avoid chronic lower back pain, neck pain, joints discomfort, etc.
Find the Right Postures to Sit after Surgery?
So, once you have found the right ergonomic chair, you need to work on your posture. The right posture for sitting is mandatory if you are looking forward to recovering fast and start your daily routine as quickly as possible.
As mentioned above, a person is restricted to sit 20-40 minutes a day in the first few weeks after surgery.
However, poor posture may cause damage to the anatomical structure of your spine, which may lead to the major possibilities of contracted nerves and blood vessels. Moreover, due to this, a patient may feel headache, fatigue, uncomfortable joints, etc.
Besides, people usually find many different positions throughout the day; therefore, you need to identify the correct posture for the position. Usually, according to doctors, proper postures mean keeping all the body parts balanced and aligned to give firm support to your body.
However, once you started following good posture, you will never regret it in the future. Now lets’ find out some tips to follow while observing different sitting situations:
1. Sitting At A desk After surgery
If you are also one of them who are working at a desk for your income, then these tips would help you. First and foremost, it is advised to avoid sitting on soft chairs where you lost balance between your hips and knees.
Moreover, to reach the objects, not twist your body; rather than that, you can use a chain with a twist and turning feature. In simpler words, move your body as a single unit. Do not interchange the position of your hips and feet, and make sure to keep them in the same direction while moving.
If you have to answer the telephone, it is advised to bring the phone in front of you instead of twisting your upper half portion of the body. Additionally, all the objects should be arranged within an easy range and sight to avoid any inconvenience.
2. Getting In And Out from the Chair or the Car
So, most of the doctors advised their patients to avoid prolonged sitting after surgery. Those patients should get out of their chairs and stretch themselves if they are feeling uncomfortable. Although getting in and out of the car can get painful, you can follow the given directions for the sake of recovery. Moreover, following directions can also be used to get out of the car seat.
To get out of the chair, you have to straighten your hips and knees to uplift yourself from the chair. Also, you can do the same thing by placing one foot in front of the other. While getting out of the chair, you should not lean your body backward or bend forward, which ultimately can damage your back.
Moreover, while getting back to your position, keep moving backward until your legs touched the chair, then bend yourself to place your hips and knees on the seat.
3. Reaching Down for Things
Reaching down for things may cause a painful scene in your mind but, you can do it easily. A general piece of advice is to keep the often used objects within easy reach. But what if you have dropped anything? Well, don’t worry; your legs got your back.
If you have accidentally dropped anything and need to reach the ground, you can use your legs. Yes, by bending your legs in such a manner that your back remains straight. With this method, you can easily reach your lower cupboard but remember to keep your back straight.
4. Lifting Objects after Bending
Lifting objects is probably prohibited in the first six months after the back surgery to avoid serious issues. But still, if you have no option rather than to lift an object, then do not lift more than 2.5 kilograms.
To lift the objects, you have to bend on your knees just like you do while reaching down. Also, keep your back straight, keep the object near you and make your arm muscles and legs do it for you.
Moreover, once you have decided to lift the object, do not move immediately after holding the object. You must rise gradually, keeping your back straight and supported. Practicing these suggestions would save you from future pain.
5. Sitting on a Toilet Seat
So, here comes the most important part of the information. Using a toilet is necessary and cannot be avoided for a long time; therefore, this sitting position may differ from all those mentioned above.
After the back surgery, ensure to sit properly on the toilet seat without hovering. You have to sit in a position keeping your knees higher than your hips. Moreover, place your feet above the ground, or you can use a small stool.
Also, keep your back straight by maintaining a natural lumber curve. Keeping your hands lean towards the knees and gradually increasing pressure would help you painless excretion without damaging your operated backbone.
Also Read: Best Office Chair for Leg Circulation
Some Common Precautions to Have After Your Surgery
So, these were some of the sitting positions you can follow to attain a proper posture. However, it is not enough to sit properly. You have to take some common precautions to decrease your recovery session. Here are some of them:
i) Don’t Ignore Your Doctor’s Advice
It is necessary to follow what your doctor has told you. Even if you feel something is extra fancy or unnecessary, do not ignore it as your doctor knows your case well, and he has prescribed you according to your injury. Also, ignoring your doctor’s advice may become an obstacle to your quick healing.
ii) Don’t Be Impatient
Do not be impatient! If you are looking for quick recovery, it is a piece of keen advice not to rush towards the regular activities too early. The eagerness to get back to a normal routine may cause more damage and take more time than expected.
iii) Do Not Bend
It is advised that all patients with back surgery do not bend forward or lean backward to protect their infected back. Bending or leaning may damage the anatomy of the bond and cause more damage than usual.
Some Common Do’s To Help You Recover Soon
1) Walk Regularly
Walking is normally advised by doctors to the patients. It may seem painful, but taking small steps for even 5 to 10 minutes would help you balance your blood circulation, which would help in soon recovery.
2) Physical Therapy
Physical therapy is also recommended to recover soon. Try to find an experienced therapist for a good outcome.
Conclusion
Summing up, we know that back surgeries can be the most painful situation one can go through and require extra care to recover.
However, everyone recovers within a different period of time because of some general factors, including health, age, type of injury, and intensity of the damage.
While sitting puts stress on the back, you can follow some good sitting postures to avoid pain and future problems.
We hope that this piece of information would serve you a helping hand to sit painlessly after your back surgery. Moreover, following the precautions mentioned above would also help you in the path of recovery.
Stay healthy and protected, and make sure to follow your doctor’s advice. Take care!
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