Physical Therapist Questions Physical Therapy

After a back surgery, when can I start with physical therapy?

I had back surgery, which made me go on bed rest for a long period of time afterward. When should I start with my physical therapy to help me recover faster?

9 Answers

Depending on the surgery I see folks anywhere from 1 day after to a couple of weeks. If you're having to lay up for 6wk+ I would be curious to know why; some surgeons are more conservative than others, but all the data these days support early activation and movement.
Check with your surgeon. It depends on your procedure and the precautions set by your surgeon. Typically they would clear you for activity and write a prescription for physical therapy.
What kind of surgery? Which part of the back? Do you have any hard wear? But in general, you will need a lot of therapy. You need to speak to your surgeon before starting any therapy. God bless.
Hi,

With your surgeon's recommendation, you can start it right away.

Regards and best wishes for your speedy recovery,

Dr. Ramky Kavaserry, DPT
You should follow up with the surgeon and let him direct you as to when to start physical therapy
This is a question for your surgeon.
That is up to your surgeon. In some cases, you'll start a few hours after surgery. Since this wasn't the case with you, you should see a PT ASAP.
Your surgeon will help with this decision. There are quite a few factors that goes into the debate. How good was the tissue in question? Was there a good repair? Where is the repair located? What are your expectations moving forward? How does the scar look? Is there scar formation around the repair site?
I would recommend you discuss the Physical Therapy question with your surgeon. Now from a purely PT stand point, the faster we get to work with you the better. I hope this helps in your decision. Best of luck.
It varies amongst the literature and by surgeon. I personally like to get patients going quickly (within 3-4 weeks after surgery), but you need to respect your surgeons wishes. They know exactly what they saw and what they did. Follow your surgeon's instructions. However, make sure you do physical therapy at some point after surgery.