The first thing is mental preparation. You need to be confident in the decision you are making, so that you have the right attitude and rational goals in mind when you undergo the procedure, as well as a clear understanding of what the results of the procedure should be. In this way, maintaining and having a correct and rational mental attitude will be very beneficial for your recovery as soon as possible. The decision to have surgery or not to have surgery is entirely in your hands – no one or force can influence or force you to make this decision. All you have to do is to make the final choice. The next step is to eat properly. Good nutrition is quite important to keep your immune system healthy. Maintaining a well-balanced food structure and timely vitamin supplementation in the weeks leading up to surgery will help your wound heal and reduce the risk of wound infection. A healthy and balanced diet structure is more than enough to keep your body nourished. As for supplements, it is still medically controversial. If you are overweight, it is best to lose weight gradually by making reasonable dietary changes prior to surgery. For spinal surgery, an overweight body will increase the burden on the spine. If you compare the spine to a flagpole, the muscles in the front and back of the body are the strings that hold the flagpole in place, so the extra load will put too much pressure on the spine. This pressure is greatly detrimental to wound healing and can increase post-operative wound pain. In addition, these good eating habits that patients develop before surgery will generally continue to be increasingly healthy after surgery. Again, it’s all about staying in shape. Staying in shape may not be important to you, but it is important to your body. The weaker your muscles and cardiovascular system are at the time of surgery, the slower your recovery will be after surgery. Why is it that professional athletes can get back on the field a month or two after major surgery? The answer is that outstanding physical condition allows them to have a short recovery period. They may not be able to work on their knee, but they can do other sports like swimming or bench pressing. This allows them to maintain a high level of muscle while undergoing surgery, making the impact of the surgery less severe. I have seen many athletes even the day before the surgery doing various exercises to work their uninjured muscles. Age is not a barrier. You can find the right way to make yourself healthier at any point in your life. No matter how old you are, there are ways to improve your body to increase your chances of success with surgery. Of course in the beginning, you may need the guidance of a professional trainer. There is evidence that for older adults, maintaining an appropriate weight coupled with targeted exercise for cardiovascular endurance is good for lung function. This means less dependence on oxygen and faster recovery times. Walking is also very good exercise to prepare for surgery if illness does not interfere. Exercise also boosts your body’s immune system and eliminates depression, which is common before surgery. I often encourage my patients to exercise as much as possible to stay in shape before surgery. The last thing you need to do is to quit smoking. This bad habit change will be one of the most important acts in your life. If you have a plan to quit smoking, then the best opportunity to take action will be during surgery. Smoking greatly increases the chances of surgical failure and complications. Smoking doubles the damage to lung function from anesthesia. Smokers have a much greater chance of developing pneumonia after surgery than non-smokers. Smoking is also known to increase spinal pain. Smoking significantly increases the failure rate of spinal fusion surgery. In fact, many surgeons refuse to perform spinal fusion surgery on smokers. There is evidence that even temporary smoking cessation before and after surgery can make the surgery more successful and reduce the chance of complications. You should stop smoking at least one month prior to your surgery. This will help improve your lung function, reduce lung fluid production and clear your body of nicotine and carbon monoxide (yes, smoking is accompanied by inhaling small amounts of the deadly poisonous gas carbon monoxide). In short, although you may not be able to quit smoking, lose weight and exercise in advance in an emergency. But before a non-emergency surgery arrives, you should understand what you need to do to prepare. Following the advice above will allow you to recover to the best of your ability after surgery.