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Log Rolling and Lower Back Spasms

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  • Log Rolling and Lower Back Spasms

    Since my first of three recent spine surgeries, I have been in a variety of hospital beds. Each one has posed a different challenge in terms of getting out of bed. The bottom line is that I have failed Log Rolling 101. I can move my legs off the bed but haven't seemed to master pushing up my torso to a sitting position. The result is that I almost always have a painful lower back spasm.

    Have any of your experienced this? Any helpful tips you can share?

    Thanks

    Karen
    Karen, 66 years "young"
    Polio at 6
    Diagnosed with scoliosis at school; no treatment
    Lumbar curve in 2005: 40; moderate pain
    Lumbar curve in 2009: 55; pain severe
    Lumbar curve after surgery: 21
    Surgeon - Dr. William Lauerman, Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC
    Three surgeries in one week:
    8/24/09 L3 to S1 anterior spinal fusion with Harm cage
    8/28/09 Posterior spinal fusion from T10 to S1 with instrumentation
    9/1/09 Partial revision of instrumentation


  • #2
    Be sure your arms are doing the work and try to keep your back relaxed.
    Chris
    A/P fusion on June 19, 2007 at age 52; T10-L5
    Pre-op thoracolumbar curve: 70 degrees
    Post-op curve: 12 degrees
    Dr. Boachie-adjei, HSS, New York

    Comment


    • #3
      Well, I'm not exactly sure I mastered the log roll either! Because my surgery was in the lumbar area, I feel like I can sort of get away with kind of rolling and sitting up. My hernia repair kept me from really using my abs for a while.

      I sleep on the right side (as I lay on the bed) of the bed and my incision was on the right side. What has helped is that I have a large night stand that is actually about 4 inches higher than my bed. I roll to my right and put my legs over. I prop myself up on my right elbow. Then I take my left hand, cross it over my body and push off of the table. Do you have a walker that you could put by the bed and push off of that?

      Hope that helps.
      Kathy, 43
      Diagnosed as a teen
      Boston brace 2 years
      63 degree lumbar curve
      Surgery August 26, 2009
      Anterior approach fused T12-L4
      now 28 degrees

      Comment


      • #4
        Hi Karen

        When your legs are hanging off the edge, you should stiffen you legs and use the weight of your legs to act as a counterbalance, and pivot up using your arm. The pivot point being your butt. Thats how I did it alone.

        Here is a video

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSCy9...om=PL&index=11

        Good luck
        Ed
        49 yr old male, now 63, the new 64...
        Pre surgery curves T70,L70
        ALIF/PSA T2-Pelvis 01/29/08, 01/31/08 7" pelvic anchors BMP
        Dr Brett Menmuir St Marys Hospital Reno,Nevada

        Bending and twisting pics after full fusion
        http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/showt...on.&highlight=

        My x-rays
        http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...2&d=1228779214

        http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...3&d=1228779258

        Comment


        • #5
          Here is a better video.

          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ffh4m...eature=related

          Your hips need to be in the correct position on the bed before log rolling out. I would dig my heel into the edge of the bed and pull my hips closer to the edge of the bed while lying on my back. Its can be difficult in the beginning, but you will get the hang of it.

          Ed
          Last edited by titaniumed; 09-23-2009, 09:38 PM.
          49 yr old male, now 63, the new 64...
          Pre surgery curves T70,L70
          ALIF/PSA T2-Pelvis 01/29/08, 01/31/08 7" pelvic anchors BMP
          Dr Brett Menmuir St Marys Hospital Reno,Nevada

          Bending and twisting pics after full fusion
          http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/showt...on.&highlight=

          My x-rays
          http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...2&d=1228779214

          http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...3&d=1228779258

          Comment


          • #6
            I agree with Ed's suggestions. The legs go down as the upper part goes up. The weight of the legs helps with getting the upper part upright. When I was in a hospital bed, I did use the railing to help me get right to the edge so that I was ready to go.

            Watch that you don't twist too much by reaching too far across your body or by putting your legs over first. You want to keep your shoulders and hips aligned.

            I'm sure you'll get it with practice.

            Sheri
            At age 56 my curves measured: 48/60/30 with lots of rotation and getting worse
            Posterior fusion T5-L4 June 30, 2009
            Excellent correction

            Comment


            • #7
              I was doing it wrong too, so the PT watched me. I was not getting the arm I was lying on underneath me enough to use as a good lever to push me up. After I learned to correctly position my lower arm (the side you are lying on to get up) I was able to get up with no problem and no back pain. The lower arm has to be straight down your side and back just a bit , and the elbow bent at 90 degrees so the forearm sticks out from underneath you in the direction you are facing. The elbow to wrist forearm is what you push up on using your upper arm to do the push up. If the lower arm is too far forward you don't get good leverage and end up using your back. Hope that helps.
              Paula

              June 15, 2009 Posterior Fusion T4-L5
              Thorasic: 48° --> 8°
              Lumbar: 65° --> 8°
              Age: 58
              Dr. Von Rueden Austin, Texas

              Comment


              • #8
                Thank you all for your suggestions. I am going to read through them again before I go to bed and see if I can improve my technique. I'll let you know tomorrow.

                Karen
                Karen, 66 years "young"
                Polio at 6
                Diagnosed with scoliosis at school; no treatment
                Lumbar curve in 2005: 40; moderate pain
                Lumbar curve in 2009: 55; pain severe
                Lumbar curve after surgery: 21
                Surgeon - Dr. William Lauerman, Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC
                Three surgeries in one week:
                8/24/09 L3 to S1 anterior spinal fusion with Harm cage
                8/28/09 Posterior spinal fusion from T10 to S1 with instrumentation
                9/1/09 Partial revision of instrumentation

                Comment


                • #9
                  When i got home from the hospital, my bed was too cooshy to push down and lift myself up after log rolling. He tied a rope to the end of the bed and I pulled myself up that way. He did this to both ends of the bed so that I could log roll as well because the bed was too soft and i just sunk down in it.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Hi All

                    As the old expression goes, "practice makes perfect." Last night I looked at the excellent UTube video that Ed recommended. I also tried keeping my lower arm straight by my side. I put my legs over the side of the bed, keeping my stomach and butt muscles contracted. That helped, but I am still not there. Raising the top of the hospital bed up also helped, but I just don't seem to have enough strength in my upper body to get me easily to a sitting position without having lower back spasms (I had lumbar surgery). Tonight I will put my walker by the bed and see if I can use it to get some leverage to sit up. Unfortunately there is no dresser or other piece of furniture nearby that I can use.

                    Thanks for your support. I'll keep you posted.

                    Cheers!

                    Karen
                    Karen, 66 years "young"
                    Polio at 6
                    Diagnosed with scoliosis at school; no treatment
                    Lumbar curve in 2005: 40; moderate pain
                    Lumbar curve in 2009: 55; pain severe
                    Lumbar curve after surgery: 21
                    Surgeon - Dr. William Lauerman, Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC
                    Three surgeries in one week:
                    8/24/09 L3 to S1 anterior spinal fusion with Harm cage
                    8/28/09 Posterior spinal fusion from T10 to S1 with instrumentation
                    9/1/09 Partial revision of instrumentation

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by lumbar3491 View Post
                      Hi All

                      As the old expression goes, "practice makes perfect." Last night I looked at the excellent UTube video that Ed recommended. I also tried keeping my lower arm straight by my side. I put my legs over the side of the bed, keeping my stomach and butt muscles contracted. That helped, but I am still not there. Raising the top of the hospital bed up also helped, but I just don't seem to have enough strength in my upper body to get me easily to a sitting position without having lower back spasms (I had lumbar surgery). Tonight I will put my walker by the bed and see if I can use it to get some leverage to sit up. Unfortunately there is no dresser or other piece of furniture nearby that I can use.

                      Thanks for your support. I'll keep you posted.

                      Cheers!

                      Karen
                      Hi Karen,
                      You might have to get some 1 or 2 pound hand weights and start strengthening your upper arms. Good luck.
                      Sally
                      Diagnosed with severe lumbar scoliosis at age 65.
                      Posterior Fusion L2-S1 on 12/4/2007. age 67
                      Anterior Fusion L3-L4,L4-L5,L5-S1 on 12/19/2007
                      Additional bone removed to decompress right side of L3-L4 & L4-L5 on 4/19/2010
                      New England Baptist Hospital, Boston, MA
                      Dr. Frank F. Rands735.photobucket.com/albums/ww360/butterflyfive/

                      "In God We Trust" Happy moments, praise God. Difficult moments, seek God. Quiet moments, worship God. Painful moments, trust God. Every moment, thank God.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Hi Karen, try not to get too frustrated -- I was very bad at log rolling after my surgery, but I did find it easier in my bed when I got home than in the hospital bed. I believe I might have pulled a muscle in my chest awhile back because I was so bad at it. It should soon become second nature to you hopefully.
                        Dolores A
                        June 4, 2009 Anterior L3 - S1
                        June 8, 2009 Posterior T4 - Pelvis
                        Mark Agulnick, MD FAAOS
                        NY Spine & Scoliosis Center

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Thanks for your encouragement, Dolores. I'm glad I'm not the only person who finds this difficult. As some folks have suggested, putting my lower arm firmly under my body and using my upper arm to push up, has helped. I'm not there yet but see progress every day.

                          Cheers!

                          Karen
                          Karen, 66 years "young"
                          Polio at 6
                          Diagnosed with scoliosis at school; no treatment
                          Lumbar curve in 2005: 40; moderate pain
                          Lumbar curve in 2009: 55; pain severe
                          Lumbar curve after surgery: 21
                          Surgeon - Dr. William Lauerman, Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC
                          Three surgeries in one week:
                          8/24/09 L3 to S1 anterior spinal fusion with Harm cage
                          8/28/09 Posterior spinal fusion from T10 to S1 with instrumentation
                          9/1/09 Partial revision of instrumentation

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            I confiscated a bed bar from my eldelry aunt. It fits between the matress and box spring and gives you leverage in getting out of bed. I don't know how I would have managed without it. I'm more than 6 weeks post-op and I still use it. It's $89 online at http://www.bedbar.com, but maybe insurance would cover something like it as a medical supply?
                            Sandy

                            Thoracic curve was 55 degrees, now 30
                            Lumbar curve was 68 degrees, now 26
                            Rib rotation was 17 degrees, now 0
                            Degenerated discs and sacral arthritic spurs, plus significant spondylosis
                            Fused 8/13/09 at age 43 from T-9 to pelvis with iliac screws anchoring hardware to the pelvis, plus osteomies by Drs. Anthony Moreno and Geoff Cronen, Tampa, FL

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Thanks, so much, Sandy! The bed bar sounds like the perfect solution to my problem. I'm going to my MD tomorrow and will see if she can write a prescription for one. Getting out of bed is still one of the most difficult things I need to do. We had our surgeries around the same time, so it doesn't surprise me that we both have these issues.

                              Have a great day!

                              Karen
                              Karen, 66 years "young"
                              Polio at 6
                              Diagnosed with scoliosis at school; no treatment
                              Lumbar curve in 2005: 40; moderate pain
                              Lumbar curve in 2009: 55; pain severe
                              Lumbar curve after surgery: 21
                              Surgeon - Dr. William Lauerman, Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC
                              Three surgeries in one week:
                              8/24/09 L3 to S1 anterior spinal fusion with Harm cage
                              8/28/09 Posterior spinal fusion from T10 to S1 with instrumentation
                              9/1/09 Partial revision of instrumentation

                              Comment

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