Set E of 55 answers
Recovery and daily life
Five questions about getting back to normal life, with or without surgery. Each answer is short, sourced and says when to see a clinician.
Whether pain settles on its own, with treatment or after an operation, the practical questions are similar: what to do each day, and what to expect. Recovery after spine surgery varies a lot by operation, and the page says so.
Without surgery, the usual advice from health services centres on staying active. Does exercise help back pain and what physiotherapy involves cover that. Nights are a common worry, covered in how to sleep with back pain.
When pain lasts more than a few months, chronic low back pain explains how it is defined and managed. Short-term back pain is covered in back pain basics.
The 5 questions in this set
- E1How long is recovery after spine surgery?Recovery depends on the operation. The NHS says a return to work after lumbar decompression may be possible around 4 to 6 weeks, while Mayo Clinic says bones can take several months to fuse after a spinal fusion.
- E2Does exercise help back pain?Guidelines from NICE, the NHS and the WHO all include exercise in care for low back pain. A Cochrane review found moderate-certainty evidence that exercise probably reduces long-lasting low back pain, though the gain in function was small.
- E3What does physiotherapy for back pain involve?Physiotherapy for back pain usually begins with questions about your symptoms and a physical check, then may include exercises, advice and hands-on treatment. NICE says hands-on care should only be part of a package that includes exercise.
- E4How should I sleep with back pain?Mayo Clinic and NIAMS suggest side sleeping with a pillow between the knees, or back sleeping with a pillow under the knees. Cleveland Clinic adds that no single position suits everyone, so people may need to experiment.
- E5What is chronic low back pain?Chronic low back pain is pain in the lower back that lasts or keeps returning beyond 3 months. The WHO, NICE and NIAMS all use a time threshold, and guidelines favor education, exercise and other non-surgical approaches, and advise against routine opioids.
The other sets
- A. Back pain basicsCauses, how long it lasts, whether you need a scan, and when it is an emergency.
- B. Neck and headachesNeck pain, whiplash, and the headaches that can start in or near the neck.
- C. Discs and nervesSlipped discs, sciatica, narrowing of the spinal canal, and what scans show.
- D. Surgery in outlineWhen surgery is discussed, what the common operations are, and the risks.