By Jillian Thompson
What you do before and after surgery can help get you back on your feet sooner. It’s important to have realistic expectations and prepare properly for your recovery. For this reason, Mayfield Brain & Spine offers a free, educational class for Mayfield spine fusion surgery patients and their caregivers. The class is designed for patients having cervical and lumbar single-level, multi-level, and complex spine fusion surgeries.
The goal is to help patients understand our expectations, assist with preparation for surgery, and provide the tools needed to produce the best outcomes possible. Spine surgery is a team effort. Our physicians play a significant role, but the patient’s involvement is just as important and can greatly affect the end results.
Spinal fusion is a surgery that permanently joins together one or more bony vertebrae. A bone graft is placed in the diseased disc space and as the body heals, new bone grows around the graft. Fusing the bones together stabilizes and aligns the spine, restores the normal disc space between the bones, and prevents further damage to the spinal nerves and cord.
During a one to six month window, what the patient does – their behavior – is critical. Restricting movement (no bending, lifting, twisting), wearing a brace if ordered by your surgeon, no smoking, and frequent walking all affect the body’s ability to obtain a solid spine fusion. So, the patient’s involvement and commitment to following the activity and therapy guidelines is very important.
Since the class was first offered in February 2018, over 400 patients have participated. The class is currently offered online and is presented by Lisa Cleveland, PT, director of Mayfield Physical Therapy. All patients scheduled for a spine fusion surgery should receive information about the class and how to register.
Once enrolled, the patient will receive an email with a link to a 35-minute video presentation. Patients are encouraged to watch the video with their family and caregivers so everyone knows what to expect before and after surgery and how to best prepare for the weeks of recovery. Topics covered in the class include home modification, nutrition and healthy living, insurance verification, pain relief and the recovery timeline after surgery.
“The fusion class is a wonderful opportunity to engage the patient and their family to actively plan for their upcoming surgery, manage expectations and improve their surgical experience and outcome,” says Banita Bailey, RN, BSN, CCM, Mayfield nurse care coordinator.
Each patient registered for the class will receive the following digital documents:
- “Caring for Your Spine Before and After Surgery” booklet
- Equipment suggestions for home use
- Healthy living, healthy habits, healthier spine
- Balance activities for home
- Preferred post-acute care providers
- Bracing video instructions & weaning tips
Upon completion, attendees are prompted to take an online evaluation to provide feedback and ask questions. The evaluation also helps inform us of the patient’s readiness for surgery. Any questions or concerns are directed to nurses who work with the patient individually until they feel prepared and ready to proceed with surgery.
“After taking the class, patients are much more aware of what recovery may look like for them and this shows in the questions they ask. Pain is always a concern, but they don’t always realize how much icing, walking, and sleeping can help manage pain. We really emphasize this in the class,” says Missy Taylor, BSN, RN, Mayfield care navigator.
As Lisa Cleveland explains, “While this class provides information on what to expect and how to prepare yourself and your home before fusion surgery, it does not cover the specifics of each surgical approach or individual bracing need. Those are topics best discussed with your surgeon.”
Feedback on the class has been positive. One attendee acknowledged, “I learned a lot and I really appreciate the time you took to do this lecture. Please let everyone know how impressive they are. This will be my first surgery at Mayfield and if you ladies are any indication of how the process will go, I’m sure it will go well.”
The team at Mayfield cares about getting patients back to doing what they love. To make that happen, each person plays an important role to make the spinal fusion process as smooth and successful as possible.
Jillian Thompson is the spine fusion class coordinator at Mayfield Brain & Spine.