You'll be encouraged to walk and move around the day after surgery and it's likely you'll be discharged 1 to 4 days afterwards. It will take about 4 to 6 weeks for you to reach your expected level of mobility and function (this will depend on the severity of your condition and symptoms before the operation).
Results: At 6 months post-surgery, 17% of patients reported having moderate or severe back/leg pain and 24% were unable to walk longer than 30 minutes. Greater preoperative self-reported leg weakness frequency and body-mass-index (BMI) were strongly associated with greater pain and walking disability.
After surgery, you can expect your back to feel stiff and sore. You may have trouble sitting or standing in one position for very long. It may take 4 to 6 weeks to get back to doing simple activities, such as light housework. It may take 6 months to a year for your back to get better completely.
You will need an assistance device such as a walker or cane for the first week; however, you should strive to limit the use of this device after the first two to three weeks when you are on stable ground. By the end of the first month, you should be able to walk one mile without your assistance device.
It's best to avoid lifting anything over ten pounds following surgery. In addition, avoid bending over at the waist and instead bend at the knees or squat when picking up light objects.
The spinal fusion procedure permanently fuses the targeted vertebrae of the spine. This process also permanently eliminates all motion at the affected segment. So, patients do experience permanent restrictions on their mobility, such as an inability to twist, bend, and lift heavy objects.
While wiping, bend from the knees rather than at the hips. A long- handled device may help to reach all areas. 4. The use of pre-moistened, flushable wipes is strongly recommended.
Patients typically get out of bed the day after their surgery – with the help of attendants, who will assist you in sitting up, getting your legs over the side of the bed, standing up, and walking. You'll be glad that you spent time getting in shape before your operation.
Nerve injury and paralysis
Some patients who have lumbar decompression surgery will develop new numbness or weakness in one or both legs as a result of the operation. Paralysis is an uncommon, but serious, complication that can occur as a result of lumbar decompression surgery.
Doctors recommend sleeping on your back or your side as you heal from spine surgery. Sleeping on your belly is generally not recommended because your spine is not in a neutral position for a prolonged period. Consider wearing satin pajamas to bed to help it make it easier for you to adjust your sleeping position.
Driving requires you to be able to turn your neck in both directions, and if you can't do that because of post-op pain, you'll be putting yourself and other drivers in danger.
Walking around your house, or outside can have a tremendous effect on your recovery after spine surgery. Movement gets your blood flowing, and helps increase your mobility while your body focuses on mending the surgical wounds. Walking can also have a great impact on your mental and emotional health after surgery.
It usually takes far longer for symptoms of numbness/tingling or weakness to resolve, and sometimes it can take up to a year for these symptoms to subside. If these symptoms persist after a year, they probably represent permanent nerve damage and are unlikely to resolve.
Your stomach is going to be sensitive after surgery, and you may not be able to process dried or dehydrated foods as much as you usually can. Avoid eating dried fruits, beef jerky, and some potato chip varieties.
Spinal fusion: The most invasive spinal surgery also has the longest recovery time. A lumbar spinal fusion, often performed with a laminectomy, results in the fusing of vertebrae together using bone graft or bone graft substitutes and instrumentation thus giving the spine more stability.
Spinal fusion
This process connects two or more vertebrae to stop them moving against each other. Sometimes, surgery will involve a bone graft. This is when bone is taken from the hip and put into the spine to help the vertebrae fuse together. Bone grafts may cause significant and even chronic pain following surgery.
Putting undue stress on a bone that needs healing often exacerbates an injury. Apply that same concept to recovery from spinal surgeries. Avoid bending at all after a lumbar fusion if possible, as bending or twisting can interfere with the way the fusion heals and even damage the work that was done.
Recovery time for spinal fusion surgery varies significantly from patient to patient, but the average spans between three and six months before the patient is back to their daily routine; working, traveling, and even exercising with more freedom and less pain than they could before the surgery.
Conventional spinal surgeries (nonminimally invasive) often involve extensive dissection of subcutaneous tissues, bones, and ligaments and thus result in a considerable degree of postoperative pain. The pain is severe and typically lasts for 3 days.
Common causes of fecal incontinence include diarrhea, constipation, and muscle or nerve damage. The muscle or nerve damage may be associated with aging or with giving birth.
Bowel injury is considered a rare but serious complication of spine surgery associated with high morbidity and mortality rates due to severe intra-abdominal sepsis and shock.