How to Prepare Your Home

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How to Prepare Your Home Routine Pre-Op Instructions Routine Post-Op Instructions

Recovering from spinal surgery will interrupt the various routines that you do throughout the course of your daily life: bathing, dressing, walking, sitting, reaching, lifting, carrying, holding, eating, drinking, and sleeping - just to name a few. How you deal with this interruption can make a big difference in your quality of life.

Make sure to ask your surgeon to explain the degree to which you will be immobilized or incapacitated following your operation. During this recovery period, you may find it difficult to move around specific areas of your home. Also make sure to ask your surgeon whether you will have to wear any kind of a brace to immobilize and support your spine while it heals. Wearing a brace, of course, will also limit your mobility (that is what it is intended to do).

Consider making the following simple changes at home before your surgery. According to medical staff at the Mayo Clinic™, these changes will not only make your life easier during recovery, but also help reduce the risk of further injury.

• Remove excess furniture, such as coffee tables or footstools.
• Avoid the high-gloss waxing of floors.
• If you have small children or pets, keep their toys off the floor.
• Remove throw rugs and make sure carpeting is secured to the floor.
• Place nightlights through key pathways in your home.
• Move items that you need to a place within easy reach (e.g., from a high shelf to a lower one) to minimize strain and accidents.
• Keep electrical and telephone cords tucked out of the way.
• Arrange furniture so that you can move around it easily.
• Make sure you can reach the telephone from your bed.

Mayo Clinic™ Staff. "Falls: Reduce Your Risk." 2002. http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?objectid=B750422F-1B68-4868-860C4B0EC4345089 (2 Dec. 2003).

Mayo Clinic™ Staff. "Assistive Devices for the Home: Tools and Tips to Make Life Easier." 2003. http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?objectid=1B9546D4-2799-4B2E-B47F1F504149EAE9 (31 Oct. 2003).

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