How strong is my fusion at 4 months post op?

[richardis]

I am 30 yrs old.

I have had my 4 month follow-up appt with my surgeon and he basically lift me all restrictions apart from not lifting more than 7 Kg. He said I could exercise as much as my body could handle and as long as did it in a progressive manner. He also said to stop the activity if I am in pain. I am very happy with it.

Although, I asked him in so many questions that I was ashamed to use his time further. That is why I am here to get more help.

1) Is my fusion strong enough to support all-day movement with no bed rests along the day?

2) At this point of my recovery should I be afraid of loss of correction?

3) Is my fusion strong enough so that it does not rely on the hardware for low-impact exercises? I am afraid of putting too much stress on the hardware.

4) Is it ok to do cut my own hair with scissors and clippers and to do all the overhead movement that it requires? I used to do it. What about body hair trimming, cutting toenails and that stuff? Should I wait until I build some muscle strength to avoid putting too much strain on the bones?

5) At this point of my recovery I am walking 2 times a day ( morning and afternoon). I do 5k in an hour of walking. That said, I walk 10k each day. Does it seem reasonable? Or is it too much?

Tomorrow I will start swimming. My doctor advised me to backstroke and to crawl. I still am afraid to do harm to my back. I keep avoiding bending and twisting despite my doctor told me not to be.

Thanks for the help.

[Back-out]

I wish somebody would answer you! (Just writing to calll attention to your questions)

My subject line is all I can contribute. I too am very concerned about post op stages of recovery and what one can do. Of course, your young age makes your situation quite different from mine.

Amanda

(Just noticing how "off" my measurements are now. Need to update my stats!)