| The most common form of neck surgery is spinal | | | | resources for gentle exercises that would be |
| fusion. In this process, two vertebrae are fused | | | | appropriate for the first few weeks after |
| together by means of a bone graft. There are a | | | | surgery. You should also ask him for a |
| variety of reasons for a spinal fusion neck | | | | comprehensive list of things you shouldn't do after |
| surgery, from herniated discs to spondylolisthesis | | | | your surgery. This may include things like bending |
| (painful and unusual slippage of the vertebrae) to | | | | and twisting. Remember not to be too vigorous. |
| spinal infection. Regardless of the cause for the | | | | Your body is healing, and while some movement |
| neck surgery, however, they all share one | | | | is essential to ensure that it heals properly, too |
| feature, at least: the patient should participate in | | | | much movement, or movement that is too |
| gentle exercise after the surgery in order to help | | | | strenuous, may keep it from healing at all. Let |
| speed recovery. | | | | your doctor help you find a balance between the |
| The key word here is gentle. Strenuous exercise | | | | two. |
| will be even more harmful than no exercise at all. | | | | In either case, once your doctor has made |
| But some motion is essential to keep muscles | | | | recommendations, your mission is to follow them. |
| from freezing up. Never, ever, *ever* exercise | | | | Exercises must be *done* to make them |
| until it hurts. And don't just jump into exercise | | | | effective, and you are the only person who can |
| willy-nilly, either. You need a plan that will allow you | | | | do your exercises for you. Good advice can only |
| to start small, perhaps with nothing more than | | | | do so much; the rest of it will be up to you. If |
| walking around several times a day to begin with, | | | | you're one of these people who hear the word |
| then increase the exercise as your body can bear | | | | "exercise" and immediately blank out, take heart! |
| it until you work yourself up to the kind of gentle, | | | | Most of your after-surgery movement will be |
| flexing exercise that will keep your nerves | | | | nothing more than that; gentle movement. |
| functioning properly and keep your muscles in | | | | Muscles left unused tend to become unusable, and |
| optimum health. | | | | you don't want that to happen. So decide for |
| Before the surgery, ask your doctor what kind of | | | | yourself, before you ever have the surgery, that |
| exercises he recommends, on a day by day | | | | you'll get suggestions from your doctor, and |
| basics, for at least the first couple of weeks after | | | | follow them to the letter after the surgery. That's |
| a surgery. Or, he may be able to point you to | | | | the best thing you can do. |