Category: Surgery Recovery | Author: Stefano Sinicropi | Date: March 9, 2026
Although the surgical procedure will provide the technical correction, the bulk of your recovery will take place during the weeks that follow during your rehabilitation period. You need to use this time wisely to ensure you make the strongest recovery possible, because if scar tissue develops or you never work your way back to pre-operative strength and function, you may end up frustrated with the end results.
In order to ensure patients know what to expect from their rehab period and to prepare them for this journey, we usually cover a few specific topics during our pre-operative consults. We’re going to share five of those topics in today’s blog so that you can give yourself the best chance to make the strongest recovery following your spinal procedure.
What Patients Should Know About Recovery From Spine Surgery
Here’s a look at five things we work to convey to all patients prior to their spine surgery operation.
- Rehab Starts Before Surgery – Don’t wait until after surgery is complete to start strengthening your spine. The healthier it is prior to the operation, the healthier it will be when you come out of surgery. We recommend pre-operative therapy routines to most patients so that they can start strengthening and stabilizing key muscle groups ahead of surgery. Pre-op PT also helps patients get in the habit of following through with a care program, which will be standard following surgery.
- We Can’t Do It For You – The surgeon can go inside your body and insert hardware or decompress a damaged nerve, but we can’t force you to get out of bed and follow through with your post-op care program. At the end of the day, we can’t make you do the things that will help you achieve the best possible outcome. We need patients to adjust their mindset accordingly so that they seek out PT, exercise and other healthy habits after their operation has been completed.
- You Get Out What You Put In – Along a similar vein, we need patients to understand that when it comes to physical therapy, they’ll get out what they put in. If you’re simply going through the motions or you’re skipping sessions from time to time, you’re not going to make a fantastic recovery. We know that physical therapy and your rehab sessions may not be the most fun thing in the world, but when it’s time to do your exercises, give it your all. Your effort and your results are closely tied to one another during this crucial stage of recovery, so give it your all.
- “Good Enough” Isn’t Good Enough – We always tell our patients that there will come a time when they think their recovery is good enough or relatively sufficient. It can be easy to let your rehab exercises fall by the wayside once you feel good enough for most daily activities, but we urge patients not to settle for mediocrity. That last 10-20% of recovery can make a world of difference in your physical capabilities, and you’ve come so far already that it would be a shame to settle for anything less than the best possible outcome. Don’t give up on your rehab program until you’ve been given final clearance from your care team.
- Your Restrictions Are In Place For A Reason – Finally, a lot of your rehab period will focus on what we want you to do, but we also need to touch on some things that are expressly forbidden. Odds are you’ll be given some physical restrictions, like no driving, no lifting or no bending at the waist for a certain period of time. It’s very important that you mind these restrictions and don’t push yourself beyond what has been recommended by your care team. Far too often we connect with patients who suffered a setback because they did something outside of their physical restrictions. These restrictions have been put in place for a reason, and if you genuinely believe you should be cleared for a specific activity, run it by your surgeon first.
Minnesota Back Surgeon
If you keep these tips in mind, we’re confident that you’ll make a strong recovery following your spinal procedure. For assistance figuring out what’s causing your back pain or for help treating a specific issue, connect with Dr. Sinicropi and the team at Midwest Spine & Brain Institute today at (651) 430-3800.
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