Patient Education
Preparing for Spine Surgery
To help you prepare for surgery on your back or neck, Providence Neuroscience Institute offers these pre- and post-surgery tips and resources for recovering at home.
- Please review the instructions you received from your surgeon's office. Note: if your surgeon's instructions are different from what is listed here, always follow your surgeon's instructions.
- Download our complete guide to spine surgery.
- Some of our spine surgeons use an application called Twistle to send patients reminders 10 days before surgery and after discharge. If you receive these messages, please read them and know that they are not spam. Messages come as a secure SMS text, and you can also download the Twistle app. Learn more about Twistle.
- How to prepare your body for surgery:
- Make sure all of your health care providers know that you are having surgery.
- Follow instructions from your care team about stopping any medications prior to surgery.
- Complete your phone or in-person visit with the pre-surgical care clinic nurse.
- Follow the instructions for pre-op showers carefully, starting four days before surgery.
- Make a plan for who will drive you home from the hospital and who will help you once you return home. If you need more support, check out this resource.
- After spine surgery, it is important for you to keep moving. Watch instructions from our Physical Therapists on:
- Watch instructions from our Occupational Therapists on:
- Setting up your home, getting dressed without bending, and bathing and toileting.
- Getting in and out of a car.
- Also, review the home safety checklist in the spine surgery guide.
- If you still have questions after discharge:
- Your surgeon's office is the best place to start. There is always a provider on call. Remember that pain medications need to be refilled 72 hours in advance at most offices.
- Review the "Activities After Discharge" and "Is Your Recovery On Track" tools in the spine surgery guide.