No injury should ever be taken lightly. But when you’ve suffered a major back injury, you could be looking at several months of recovery time. And if you’ve had surgery, recovery therapy might be necessary.

Recovery Matters: Steps You Should Take After Major Back Surgery

Your spinal health is essential for a full range of motion and a variety of other movements related to performing work-related duties and living a full life. But injuries to the spinal cord are extremely costly. According to CDC, spinal cord injuries translate to costs of over 9 billion dollars each year.

When your spine becomes injured, or any area of your back, surgery is usually the only option. But along with back surgery come a lot of other risks. And recovery time can be quite lengthy.

If you’ve suffered a back injury and you’re in recovery, the following will illustrate a few factors you’ll want to consider.

Keep a Journal of Your Recovery

A number of things can go wrong during back surgery. And if you find that you’re not recovering from surgery properly, you should probably go see your doctor and talk about your symptoms.

For example, it’s not uncommon to have medical errors occur during back surgery. And even though these may be accidental, you’ll be in even more pain if you let your pain go untreated and don’t seek compensation for pain and suffering.

Further, you may be eligible for a medical malpractice claim if it’s found that a surgeon was negligent during surgery. But in order for an attorney to handle your medical malpractice claim, you’ll need to provide documentation. And keeping a journal is often a highly recommended practice for post-surgery patients.

Regardless, keeping a journal during your recovery can also help your doctor move your rehabilitation along as he or she will have documentation of any symptoms or problems you might be experiencing.

Seek Physical Therapy

As mentioned, when your back is injured and you’ve had major back surgery, you may require additional physical therapy. And this is because your spine is tied into your central nervous system and your musculoskeletal system in intricate and delicate ways.

For example, even a slipped or bulging disc can cause extreme pain and cause you to lose full range of motion. It can also prevent you from being able to bend or lift anything weighing over 10 pounds. And in order to get your spine back in good health, physical therapy will help to strengthen your back muscles after surgery.

Physical therapists are well trained in how the body works when in motion. And these professionals often work alongside your primary physician so that they fully understand your injury and can prescribe therapy accordingly.

Even though keeping immobile is often recommended after back surgery, talk with your doctor and see if physical therapy is right for you.

Make Arrangements for Assistance

If your back injury was severe enough, you may require assistance with performing daily activities and living your life. And even though this might be a hard pill to swallow, sometimes after back surgery you might not even be able to get up to use the bathroom on your own.

At-home assistance is often a recommended part of post-surgery treatment. And if you don’t have a family member or friend available to help you with certain chores or other activities, you’ll likely need to have at-home care.

Most insurance providers have coverage for hospice or at-home care. But this service can be costly. As such, you’ll want to talk with your insurance provider about at-home care and see if your policy covers the costs. If not, other financial arrangements may have to be made.

Recovery from any major injury can be extremely costly and time-consuming. And if your injury was severe enough, it may take you several months to fully recover. Regardless, getting the care you need and being proactive in your recovery is the best strategy moving forward.