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If you’re considering spine surgery, it’s important to understand every aspect of the process to ensure you’re armed with all the information you need to make the right decisions regarding your health. In particular, it’s critical to know what to expect during your recovery after spine surgery since your final outcome will depend on how diligently you attack the recovery process.
The recovery process after spine surgery can vary significantly based on the severity of your injury and the type of surgery performed. In some instances, recovery may only take a few weeks while in other situations, you may face several months of rehab before making a full recovery. The following overview of the process will help you understand what to expect after spine surgery.
After your surgery, you’ll be brought to the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) for monitoring. You will be in the PACU for at least 30 minutes and possibly as long as two hours. You be able to see visitors once you leave the PACU.
You’ll most likely spend a night at our facility to ensure your initial healing is going well. This will significantly reduce the risk of future complications. During this overnight stay, you’ll receive initial occupational and physical therapy services to help you learn how to properly transfer in and out of bed, walk with an assistive device and regain your independence prior to discharge from the hospital. During this process, your physical therapy and occupational therapy teams will determine the types of equipment and levels of assistance you’ll need to return home safely.
You’ll have regular physical therapy appointments throughout your recovery. During these appointments, your physical therapist will teach you a variety of exercises to restore strength, mobility and function after spine surgery. It’s critical that you diligently perform all at-home exercises as prescribed by your physical therapist to ensure a full recovery.
You’ll also work with an occupational therapist once or twice a day during the initial stages of your recovery until you’re able to complete basic daily activities such as dressing, grooming, showering, and toilet tasks. Your occupational therapist will also recommend any adaptive equipment and strategies necessary to complete these activities until you’ve regained full function.
Proper incision care is an important component to recovery after spine surgery. Our spine surgeons use dissolvable sutures and steri-strips in most situations. If you go home with a drain, our team will provide you with instructions on how and when to remove it. In addition, our team will change your surgical dressing prior to leaving the hospital so that you go home with a waterproof dressing. This will allow you to shower without worrying about your surgical dressing getting wet. If you notice the dressing coming loose and water getting inside, contact our office at once.
You should be able to remove the waterproof dressing on the fourth day of your recovery, but you’ll need to leave the steri-strips in place. If they don’t fall off on their own, our team will remove them at your two-week follow-up appointment. Once the dressing is removed, pat the incision dry after showering, but don’t scrub or pick at the incision.
Make sure to be on the lookout for any signs of infection while your incision is healing. If you notice any of the following, contact your surgical team at once:
Spine surgery is a major procedure, and you should expect to experience some pain during the early stages of recovery. Our spine surgeons will generally prescribe medication to help manage any post-operative pain.
Pain management after spine surgery is important. The goal isn’t to be completely pain free after surgery, but your pain should be tolerable enough that you’re able to move around normally. If your pain is too severe after surgery, you may have trouble performing routine activities.
If you’re a smoker, diabetic or have prediabetes and are undergoing a spinal fusion procedure, you’ll also receive an antibiotic to be taken after discharge from the hospital.
Our team is always available to help in between these appointments. Feel free to reach out whenever you have questions or if you feel you need to be seen by our team before your next scheduled appointment.
Your recovery time will vary depending on your specific spine surgery procedure and your body’s unique healing abilities, but our team will work with you to ensure you’re able to resume your regular routine as quickly and safely as possible. In most instances, you should expect to have at least six weeks of movement restrictions after spine surgery:
While these restrictions are lifted after six weeks for certain procedures, other spine surgery procedures may carry restrictions for as long as twelve weeks. In these situations, your level of restriction will be gradually removed based on guidance provided by your physical therapy team.
In general, we recommend taking at least two weeks off work after surgery to give your body time to sufficiently heal. After two weeks, you may be able to resume work as long as your job doesn’t require you to engage in restricted activities. If possible, start off working partial days and gradually increase your work time as your healing progresses.
After two weeks, you may also start driving if:
By twelve weeks after surgery, you should have regained a lot of your strength, and sensation should start to feel normal. After a year, you should have a good sense of your maximum strength and sensory abilities.
Colorado Advanced Orthopedics is committed to delivering the exceptional care you need to restore a pain-free life. Our spine surgeons utilize the latest techniques and most advanced technology to ensure the best surgical outcomes. Our primary spine surgeon, Dr. J. Alex Sielatycki, has fellowship training in spine surgery and performs a wide range of spine procedures. His extensive training and experience give our team the ability to treat just about any spine condition you may have
Dr. Sielatycki’s strong track record of success has made Colorado Advanced Orthopedics the go-to orthopedics clinic on the Western Slope for individuals seeking care for spinal injuries. Our exceptional patient care has also made CAO a common destination for out-of-town spine surgery patients.
Contact us today to schedule an appointment. Colorado Advanced Orthopedics serves patients in Meeker, the White River Valley and throughout the Western Slope.
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