Mornings - OMG - they are terrible

[lbanis]

I'm wondering if anyone else is having this problem (post spinal fusion). When I wake up and try to move to begin to get out of bed my torso muscles go into painful spasms. When I can finally get out of bed I am very stiff, have trouble straightening up, feel unsure on my feet, a little off balance, and it is painful. This lasts 15 - 30 minutes. I figure I need to work through it so don't go back to bed but move to a chair or couch while trying to walk a bit.

Any comments???

[Justin]

Hi Lynn,

Although I did not have a spinal fusion, I did have a similar spine technology (a posterior dynamic stabilization device) implanted in May 2009.

Mornings have been the most challenging for me as well. It takes me a while to get going in the morning. I believe this is mostly due to my core muscles being quite decompensated since my surgery--my activities have been quite limited to ensure that the bone remodeling around my device has healed correctly. I know once I start my formal rehab on 9/14 that things will get much better. The "hurry up and wait" phase of recovery can take quite a toll on your body.

I think a lot of your symptoms have to do with your body trying to heal and "guard" / protect your spine from your recent surgery in August. Your symptoms will get progressively better as you become more active and your muscles become strong once again. Unfortunately, it is a slow process for many Spine Patients (including myself this time around). However, if I look back to how far I have come in just a few months, it is pretty amazing.

Keep your head up--things do get better each day!

[KBear]

I'm almost 6 months out and still have some muscle issues in the morning. At first, it was really bad. I could barely walk, was bent over and gimping my way to the couch to sit on the heating pad and to wait for the vicodin to kick in. It is slowly improving; but not near as quickly as I would like!