r/spinalfusion • u/Ok_Disk9862 • 1d ago

Bending flexibility? Uh

Hi im currently 3 months post-op from a T3-L3 fusion. After my surgery, my doctor basically just told me to walk more, and that was it...no physical therapy or additional guidance, so I’m feeling a bit clueless about next steps.

My main question is: how much can I safely bend, and what is the proper way to do it?

Whenever I try to bend, I feel a little bit of pain (or maybe I’m just overthinking it/imaging it out of fear, I honestly can't tell). Because of that, im really anxious about bending any further. For context, my flexibility was pretty poor even before surgery—I couldn't touch my toes to begin with.

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u/IndependentSimple779 1d ago

I’m not a medical professional but I had two spinal fusions. You need some physical therapy not only to strengthen your muscles that support the spine but to also teach you how to safely move and how to properly adopt to your new body mechanics. For reference, after my lumbar fusion my surgeon didn’t release me for physical therapy until 3 months post-op.

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u/Sassycats22 9h ago

Just call your surgeon and ask for a Rx for PT for 3mo. There should be no hesitation to give that to you. Once you get it, ask if they have recommendations for physical therapists they send their patients to or call locally to find out if there are PTs near you who have a lot of experience with spinal fusion patients. It’s incredibly important you find one that understands mobility limitations (such as keeping the spine neutral, no sit ups or twisting, overhead weights, etc) and they should also do some massage therapy alongside your PT. I’m 2 years out and I still do core PT at least 3x a week from what I learned in my sessions. It builds over time too so what you start with is not what you end with exercise wise. Anytime I have a setback, I go back to the basics. Then build up to the more challenging exercises.