Type of rehabilitation – depending on the previous therapy of the herniated disc! | Rehab after a slipped disc

Type of rehabilitation – depending on the previous therapy of the herniated disc!

Rehab usually differs in the preceding treatment method. If a herniated disc has been treated by an operation, in some cases a follow-up treatment of at least three weeks is carried out in an inpatient setting. Too intensive rehab after surgery for a herniated disc can lead to a new herniated disc.

Therefore, after surgery for a herniated disc, rehab measures are increasingly rare. If, on the other hand, the herniated disc was conservatively treated without surgery, outpatient, inpatient or semi-inpatient rehabilitation is usually carried out. The form and duration of the rehabilitation depends on the severity of the clinical picture, individual prerequisites of the patient and the goal of the rehabilitation measures.

After an operation due to a herniated disc, rehabilitation begins with light relaxation exercises. In addition, after an operation, consideration must be given to the operated area. Especially the wound can still cause problems at the beginning of rehabilitation and must be treated in addition to the back.

On the other hand, it is assumed that after an operation there are no longer any restrictions caused by the herniated disc: Therefore, in later phases of rehab one can focus very much on mobility and strengthening. While in conservative treatment, attention must always be paid to which exercises are possible despite the herniated disc. Overall, the exercises that are performed in rehab after surgery and during conservative treatment are very similar.

Most rehab clinics offer different concepts for the usual conservative rehab as well as for the follow-up treatment in inpatient, day-care and outpatient form. For outpatient rehabilitation, patients go to special rehabilitation centres during the day, where they follow a fixed rehabilitation programme. During this time, however, they live at home and must therefore be able to guarantee daily travel to the rehabilitation centre.

In most cases, this treatment concept is accompanied by a personal contribution of 10 Euros per day. A more intensive treatment programme can be guaranteed within the framework of an inpatient rehabilitation. This is particularly important, for example, if the focus is on professional reintegration or the return to a structured and independent daily life.

The patients then live in a rehabilitation clinic for the duration of the rehabilitation programme. Here, too, an own contribution of 10 Euros per day is usually charged and the maximum duration of such a stay is 28 days in total. The follow-up treatment (AHB) is then indicated if the herniated disc has been operated on or in the case of particularly severe clinical pictures.

For this, the attending physician in the hospital must already submit an application to the respective social insurance agency. The follow-up treatment must then be started within 14 days after discharge from hospital at the latest. It then usually lasts 3 weeks in total. Depending on which insurance company pays for the follow-up treatment, the patient may choose the rehabilitation clinic on his own. If the costs in the chosen facility are higher than those in the contractual facilities, the patient must pay the difference.