4 Core Training MISTAKES After A Spinal Fusion Surgery

Core training after spinal fusion surgery is important but what I see too often are people making some pretty critical mistakes.

In fact, there are 4 common mistakes I see a lot of back surgery patients making that are easily fixed and IF fixed will lead to more strength and less pain.

If you have had a back surgery or any level of spinal fusion surgery this video is going to show you the biggest core training mistakes after a spinal fusion surgery to stay far away from!

Is Core Training Safe After A Spinal Fusion?

The only thing that makes exercise dangerous is the lack of understanding and quality of technique.

Too many people want to rush through sets and reps to get them done thinking they just need to check this exercise thing off their list of things to do but by doing that they could be making things worse.

Core training is safe for spinal fusions and is a critical elements to returning to the life you had before the fusion but the most important part of this is knowing what exercises to pick.

If you find yourself making any of these 4 mistakes with your core training after your surgery I would suggest you go check out this post on the top 10 core exercises for spinal fusions and grab the free post fusion exercise guide.

How Do I Strengthen My Core After Back Surgery

The best thing you can do when it comes to strengthening your core after back surgery is to start small.

Start with a basic deep core contraction practice (like this one here) and learn what activating this area really feels like.

From there what you want to do is start adding difficulty to this deep core contraction with basic movements such as leg drops or mini marches. These are really simple low stress exercises that are great for engaging the trunk and introducing the need for what I call Core Coordination.

When you can successfully do this your mind will learn to trust the resilience in your low back and rely on your abs and trunk to do the bracing work instead of defaulting to your lower back. This is a common issue low back pain sufferers have.

When Can I Start Core Training After A Spinal Fusion?

According to the current standards for spinal surgery rehabilitation you’re looking at 6-10 weeks minimum. With that being said the best thing for you to do is not hold yourself to that metric. The worst thing you could do is hit that 10th week and jump all in and end up creating a pain cycle that you can’t get off of.

Listen to your body even after you have been cleared to exercise. You always want to play it safe and invest early in smart training to help rebuild the confidence needed for long term strength and pain relief.