Back
Surgery Information
Risks of back surgery
Surgical risks fall
under several categories. There are risks of
the surgery itself such as neurovascular
damage, hemorrhage, implant insertion error,
or anesthetic complications. If an anterior
approach is used, there are additional risks
to the abdominal structures. After surgery,
complications may occur in the early or late
postoperative period. Early problems include
hematoma, infection, poor wound healing, and
pulmonary impairment from the anesthesia.
Late problems may occur months later.
Recurrent disc herniation and fusion
non-unions are examples of late
complications.
These risks are relatively low in their
likelihood and should be further discussed
with your surgeon in detail.
Wearing a brace after
surgery
The need for external
bracing after a spinal fusion depends upon
the nature of your spinal problem, the type
of surgery performed and the preference of
your surgeon. Your surgeon will have a
specific opinion as to the need for a brace
after your operation.
Insurance coverage and
spine surgery
Medical insurance is intended to
provide coverage for necessary medical
treatment. You should always contact your
insurance company to discuss the financial
issues with them. Pre-approval is often
required. Co-payments and deductibles need
to be considered. Sometimes, a second
opinion is desired or required. Restrictions
may apply. Your surgeon or hospital may or
may not participate with your insurance.
Recover time after
surgery
Most patients recover
quite quickly from surgery. The initial
phase requires healing the incision and the
soft tissues which typically occurs over the
first few weeks. Patients are walking the
day following surgery, and from that day,
they can expect to ambulate on a daily
basis. The rate of recovery is dependent on
each individual patient and their health
status before surgery. If patients are
healthy before the surgical procedure, we
expect them to recover quite quickly.
Follow-up visits after spine surgery
Typically we see our
surgical patients one or two weeks after
leaving the hospital to check the incision
and assure that the healing process is
progressing appropriately. For minor
decompression surgery, patients are
typically seen at the six-week point to
assess their status and institute physical
therapy. Fusion surgeries require more time
to allow the fusion to heal and patients are
typically seen every six to eight weeks to
gauge the process and obtain radiographs of
the spinal fusion to ensure that it is
healing well.
Less invasive surgical options
The availability of
minimally invasive procedures continues to
evolve. Only your spinal specialist is aware
of which procedures he/she is comfortable
with and whether or not you are a candidate.
In many cases, the same surgery can
be done through smaller incisions. This
includes discectomy and spinal fusion. Ask
your surgeon if you qualify.
Physical
rehabilitation after surgery
Physical therapy may
be beneficial in restoring function after
surgery. A combination of aerobic and
resistive exercise has been shown to improve
the success rate of all types of spinal
surgery. By working with a trained physical
therapist, a patient may begin this program
within a few weeks of surgery. The duration
of therapy depends on the condition of the
patient and the specific physical goals. If
a health club is available, the patient can
be transitioned to an independent program
for maintenance of function. This can
usually occur within 4 - 6 weeks of surgery.
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