Activity Limitations – these are typically necessary for 3 months after surgery

	No bending, stooping, or twisting.
	No lifting anything heavier than a half gallon of milk.
	No sitting in an upright position for more than 15-20 minutes at a time.

Remember that bone heals, and the fusion sets, only if the area of the fusion is still. Therefore, you want to avoid activities that require a lot of motion through the fusion area. That is one reason why physical therapy is almost never prescribed before 3 months after surgery. 

Things that hurt the chance of successful fusion 

Tobacco – nicotine causes a change in the blood supply to the fusion area. This leads to a much lower chance of successful fusion.

Anti-Inflammatory medicines – medications such as Ibuprofen, Advil, Aleve, Naproxen, and other anti-inflammatories reduce the chance of a successful fusion. Their use should be avoided, if possible, during the first 3 months after a fusion. Tylenol can be used, but be aware that there is often Tylenol in the pain medication prescribed after surgery.

  Motion – too much motion across the fusion site will reduce the ability of the fusion bone to set, much like superglue is prevented from setting if the surfaces being glued are moved while the glue is setting.

Walking is an excellent form of exercise and you are allowed to walk as much as you want. Lifting also puts a lot of pressure across the region of the fusion; that’s why the lifting restriction is important. Sitting in a recliner or in a reclined position is also acceptable. Sitting upright shouldn’t actually cause damage to your fusion, but being in the sitting position places a lot of stress across the back and this can cause pain.  Follow-up You can expect to have a clinic visit 2 weeks after surgery for suture removal. You can expect to have appointments at 6 weeks, 12 weeks, 6 months and 1 year from the time of surgery, and x-rays will be taken at each of these visits.