When you have a spinal fusion you lose flexibility of you back-the ability to bend and twist your spine. Depending on how many vertebrae are fused, where the fusion takes place (cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral) in your back, and the length of time following surgery will affect how much flexibility is lost. Not knowing how much flexibility I would lose due to surgery was a major concern to me. I enjoy being physically active and taking dance class and I was afraid I would completely lose the ability to bend and twist my back.
During physical therapy I was taught how to do everyday tasks without having to bend over. Things like brushing my teeth and washing my face, household chores, getting in and out of a car, and driving.
To brush my teeth, I would spit in a cup instead bending over and spitting into the sink. I would use a washcloth to wash my face instead of bending over and using water and cleanser directly over the sink. I mostly used shoes without laces that slipped on and when I needed to tie my shoes, I would sit down and put my ankle on the opposite knee and ties my shoe from there. Getting in and out of a car depended on if the seats are low-where you need to crouch to get in- or high-just sit right down. Because my fusion is pretty high up in my back, I could not crouch. I had to lean to the side to get around and into a car with lower seats. I was taught how to use my legs to lunge and use my torso as a whole unit in order to not use my back muscles for opening doors, getting dishes out of the dishwasher, sweeping the floor, etc.
Of course, right after surgery everything was painful and my movement was very restrictive. Five years out I feel like I have a great deal of flexibility. Because I am not fused into my hip or in my lumbar spine, I can bend my back pretty normally. I cannot crouch and I cannot twist as far and neither have significantly affected my ability to do what I want. I DO have to limit how much I use my neck to look down. Too much looking down strains my T1, T2 vertebrae (where my fusion starts) and surrounding muscles. It strains to the point where I cannot move my head and I get very bad tension headaches that feel like a vice grip on the back of my head and neck.This is something I have to continually monitor to prevent injury.
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