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Post-Surgery Care

Physical Therapy plays an integral role in the rehabilitation process following spinal surgery. Westwood Physical Therapy specializes in post-surgery care of the spine, hip, knee, and shoulder among others.

Why see a Physical Therapist?

Physical Therapists do more than just prescribe exercise.  We spend extra time teaching individuals the proper exercise technique, assessing for muscle imbalances, and compensation patterns, educating individuals on proper posture and body mechanics for daily activities and we instruct clients on the most effective personalized home exercise programs.

Why is exercise important after spine surgery?

A sound trunk stabilization exercise program will help reduce the risk of future re-injury.  Research has shown that following any episode of low back pain there is a delay in the activation of the transverse abdominis muscle (Hodges and Richardson, 1996).  Your transverse abdominis muscle is your key trunk stabilization muscle.  If there is a deficiency in the motor signals to your trunk stabilization muscles then activation of those muscles will be delayed.  This will lead to inadequate stabilization of the lumbar spine segments leading to microtrauma in the lumbar spine joints which results in low back pain.

At Westwood Physical Therapy, your Physical Therapist will prescribe exercises that focus on developing the strength of the torso without putting stress on the spine. Our goal here is to build a stable foundation on which all movements can then be controlled against.  The deep muscles of the trunk ie your transverse abdominis muscles must stabilize the spine in both sustained postures (ie standing and sitting) and dynamic movements. Neuromuscular control plays an important role in coordinating the activity of the deep muscles. We focus not only on strengthening your trunk muscles but also on retraining the neuromuscular system to improve muscle co-ordination and motor patterns.  We also aim to correct any muscle imbalances caused by surgery, the initial injury or just postural dysfunctions by  aligning  the body correctly and balancing the muscular and external forces acting on the joints and musculoskeletal structures. 

At Westwood Physical Therapy, our physical therapists can help you recover faster and stronger after your spine surgery.  We spend one on one time with our clients ensuring that they are not only doing their exercises but most importantly doing them correctly.  Technique is everything.  If you have any questions with regards to our post-op program please call our office at 310-996-0085.