Category: Spine Surgery | Author: Stefano Sinicropi | Date: February 4, 2026
One of the most common reasons for a patient to need spine surgery is due to an issue with one or more spinal nerves. Perhaps a nerve is compressed, damaged or incorrectly sending out pain signals, and conservative care isn’t providing relief. Surgery can help correct the problem, but that nerve and any other areas that are cut as part of the operation are going to need time to heal.
Nerve healing typically takes place over the course of a number of months, but there are things you can do to speed up that process by providing the right type of environment for healing to take place. In today’s blog we look at some ways you can help speed up nerve recovery after spine surgery.
Speeding Up Nerve Recovery
Depending on your surgery and the specific way the nerves were addressed, it can take 6-12 months or longer for nerves to make the fullest recovery possible. During that time, you’ll want to help the process along by providing an ideal environment for healing to take place. Here are four ways you can work to do that:
- Exercise – Once you’ve been cleared for light exercise by your spine surgeon, seek out some activities that get your heart pumping. Cardiovascular exercise has been proven to boost the release of neurotrophins and growth factors that can aid in nerve recovery. Light exercise like walking, yoga or water aerobics can be beneficial for recovering spinal nerves.
- Physical Therapy – Odds are you’ll be told that you need to pursue physical therapy after your spine surgery to strengthen affected soft tissues or spinal segments, but PT is also helpful for your nerve health. Physical therapy helps provide the right environment for healing to take place by strengthening nearby structures that can take stress off nerves or promote ideal movement such that nerves are less likely to be affected when you’re moving.
- Sleep – Sleep also plays a pivotal role in helping nerves heal following the trauma of spine surgery. Sleep provides an extended period where your body isn’t prioritizing energy to other activities, and instead can focus its attention on resting, recovering and healing. Also, quality sleep has been shown to reduce pain sensitivity, whereas poor sleep can amplify pain signals, which is the last thing you’ll want if you’re working to help a damaged nerve heal.
- Nutrition – The food you put in your body can be helpful or harmful to ideal nerve recovery. Antioxidant-rich fruits, leafy green vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains can provide essential nutrients that aid in the recovery process. Junk foods can be pro-inflammatory and delay the healing process, so work on improving your diet as you recover following spine surgery.
If you pursue these habits and trust your spinal procedure to Dr. Sinicropi and the team at Midwest Spine & Brain Institute, we’re confident that you’ll be putting yourself in a great position to make a strong recovery after back surgery. For more information, or for help with a specific spinal issue, connect with Dr. Sinicropi today at (651) 430-3800.
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