Spine problems are very common in the United States. Between 250,000 and 500,000 American adults suffer symptoms related to spinal stenosis, which is caused by degeneration of the spine. This means that about five out of every 1,000 people over the age of 50 have this problem. More than one-quarter of adults in the United States have a musculoskeletal. For a great many people, neck and back injuries do not lead directly to surgery. Treatment often begins and ends with rest and physical therapy. For others, a back or cervical spine surgeon can help with an operation to alleviate pain.

Over the past three decades, surgery on the back and neck has changed a lot. As our understanding of the spine has advanced, so has the development of technology and techniques to approach spine and cervical disc surgery. Today, the average time a patient spends in the hospital after a procedure done by a cervical spine surgeon is about three days. If your cervical spine surgeon has recommended any kind of surgery, such as a replacement with an artificial cervical disc, it might be scary and you may not know what to expect for the recovery process.

How Can You Recover from Neck Surgery?

1. Plan your meals. The last thing most people want to think about after surgery is cooking or going out to shop for food. Before surgery, you may want to consider stocking up on frozen meals or other ready-to-cook dinners. Many cities and areas have delivery services, and in  others there are delivery services for ready-to-cook meals. These are often a lot healthier than relying on delivery from local restaurants. While the recovery time from surgery is a lot shorter today than it was in years past, having at least a week of options will make preparing foods something you do not have to worry about when you first get home from the hospital. Also, ask your neurosurgeon if there are foods you will need to avoid or have more of after your surgery. Some people recommend getting more calcium, for instance, after a procedure.

2. Get your fiber! Your cervical spine surgeon will most likely prescribe pain medication to help you recover. This frequently causes constipation. This problem is only made worse by inactivity, even though you will really need to rest after your operation. Your spine surgeon may also prescribe medication for this, but you can also alleviate this problem by eating foods that are high in fiber. These include berries, pears, apples, prunes, broccoli, whole wheat pasta, air-popped popcorn, corn, oatmeal and beans. Women should shoot for getting 21 to 25 grams of fiber each day, and men should aim for between 30 and 38. Keeping yourself well-hydrated with a lot of water should also help.

3. Take your vitamins. This will help your recovery process. Again, ask your surgeon if you should up your amount of calcium or vitamin D. Most people get enough vitamins in their diet without pills, but it is worth taking them before and after your surgery to improve your healing time.

4. Take time off from everything. Seriously: you need to spend some time recovering from surgery, not catching up on email from work. Some people report feeling a lot better by actually removing work email from their devices so they can spend their time away from the office focusing on their recovery. You should remember that while you are on pain medication, your judgement may be impaired, so this is not the time to make important work decisions!

5. Get a few grippers. These are also referred to as reachers or grabbers. To prevent you from having to strain to grab something that has fallen on the floor or is up high, have a few of these around the house. They will make it easier to reach items you need without straining your neck.

All surgery is stressful and scary, but you can minimize your discomfort after your procedure by following these tips and any other advice the experts at the neurosurgery practice give you. They may have some other ideas for what you can do to make your recovery process more pleasant for you and your family.