Managing Your Mindset Before And After Spine Surgery

There are a lot of factors related to your spine surgery that may feel out of your control, but one aspect that you have full control over is your mindset. Having a healthy mindset before and after your spine surgery can really help pave the path for an optimal outcome. But what can you do to help guide yourself into a healthy mindset before and after your procedure? We share some tips for managing your mindset before and after spine surgery.

Managing Your Mindset Before Surgery

It is completely normal to feel a bit nervous or anxious prior to your operation, but we don’t want these feelings to become a dominant emotion. You can manage pre-op stress and anxiety and get into the right frame of mind before surgery by following these tips:

• Focus On The Best Outcome – Oftentimes pre-surgery anxiety stems from us worrying what will happen if something goes wrong. Instead of focusing on what might happen if something goes wrong, try to focus on what will happen assuming everything goes as planned. Focus on what activities you’ll be able to do again and what improvements you’ll see in your life. Considering surgery is declared successful more often than not, it makes sense to focus your energy on the positive outcomes.
• Control What You Can Control – You will not be able to control all aspects of your surgery and recovery, but if you take steps to manage the aspects you can control, it can help you reach a healthier place in your mind. Dive into some prehabilitation exercises, improve your diet and stick to your pre-op recommendations. Enter surgery as the healthiest version of yourself, and you’ll have peace of mind knowing that you did all you could to set yourself up for success.
• Find A Surgeon You Trust – You want to make sure that you have full and complete faith in the surgeon performing your operation. Ask questions during your pre-op consultations and look for a different provider if you just don’t feel like this doctor is a great fit. Your mind will be at ease if you have confidence in the surgeon performing your operation.

Managing Your Mindset After Spine Surgery

It’s also important that you have a healthy perspective during your recovery after your operation is complete. Here are some ways to do just that:

• Stick To The Plan – Follow your surgeon’s post-op care guidelines to a T. Don’t pursue intense physical activities until you have been given clearance by a doctor. We understand that rehab can be a slow and sometimes frustrating process, but don’t allow those feelings to push you towards unhealthy choices. Keep your mind focused on your rehab program and the recommendations of your surgeon.
• Give It Your All – Again, this point follows the pre-op suggestion of trying to control what you can control. Really give it your all during your physical therapy sessions. If you are giving maximum effort and following through on what you need to do, you’ll have a healthier mindset knowing that you are giving your back the best chance to make a full recovery.
• Practice Patience – Your spine isn’t going to get back to a pre-injury level of fitness overnight, so you need to try and be patient with your recovery. Again, we know this won’t be easy, but if you focus on slow and steady progress and know that a full recovery will take some time, you’ll be less likely to get frustrated as a result of mismatched expectations. Make sure you have a clear idea of your expected recovery time from your surgeon so that you know what to expect in terms of a rehab timeline.

If you do all of these things and trust your care to Dr. Sinicropi and the team at The Midwest Spine & Brain Institute, we’re confident that you’ll have a healthy mindset before and after your operation. For more information, or for help with a spine issue that you’re dealing with, reach out to Dr. Sinicropi and his team today at (651) 430-3800.

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