When should mom start pt for her L2 spine fracture?

My mom also went to the local ER and had X-rays and sent home. She was in so much pain the second day we took her to the city, three hours away. If she was sitting still she did not hurt but when she moved, very painful. More X-rays revealed the fracture. I have since learned that the fractures don’t always show up on the first X-ray.

Kyphoplasty was suggested by my sisters friends. Her docs said she was not a candidate. Everyone who got that had instant relief it seemed.

Her CHF flared in the first rehab due to the horrible food (salt). She wound up in ICU and then the hospital rehab before she came home with a hospital bed. It was a big down turn in her health.

We were both traumatized by the first rehab experience. The next time she needed rehab I insisted on a rehab that was NOT in a NH. She did great.

I think it was Kyphoplasty. It was just a couple of needle holes in her back. She had a fall and did a number on her head. She was taken to the hospital for the head injury on a Friday. By Monday she was complaining about her back. Took her back to the hospital and xrays found she had fractured her L1. Being Labor Day weekend, the procedure was done the next day. There was no waiting. The 8 weeks was before this procedure was invented.

My Mom had home PT as soon as the procedure was done. She had to sit perfectly straight in her recliner. We had a pillow behind her and on both sides of her because she was not suppose to lean to her right or left. She had a lazy boy and we were able to get an extention for the arm that puts the leg rest up and down. She had an L1 fracture. We were told before this procedure, a person had to lay flat for 8 weeks for the fracture to heal.

Definitely a question for her medical team. They know her the best, her overall strengths and weaknesses, and her tolerance. I would trust their answers in this. This is largely overall going to be about pain, nerve pain, overall spinal health and the strength of her "core". It is very difficult to increase core strength in someone elderly, so this is going to be about slowly building tolerance, keeping bones and muscles and tendons moving even if slowly.

She should start PT whenever her doctors say that she should. And if you trust her ortho doctor more, then wait and see what they say when you see them on May 1st.

My mom started PT while in the hospital and then went to inpatient rehab and also had pt at home following inpatient.

But I’m sure this depends on many individual factors.

She was in her 90s and did well with the pt/ot. Key for her was taking the pain meds so she was able to do the pt.