Recovering After Spine Surgery | Dr. Kris Radcliff

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Recovering After Spine Surgery

Most people feel a little better each week after spine surgery. Leg or arm pain often improves first, sometimes right away. Numbness and weakness improve more slowly, because nerves heal slowly. This page covers the general plan. Follow the specific instructions you are given for your operation.

The First Two Weeks

Walk. Walking is the best thing you can do. Start the day of surgery or the next morning, and walk several times a day.
Change position. Get up every 30 to 45 minutes when you are awake.
Lift lightly. No more than about 10 pounds for the first few weeks.
Avoid bending, lifting and twisting together. That combination puts the most stress on a healing spine.
Sleep in any comfortable position. A pillow between your knees helps when you lie on your side.

Caring for Your Incision

Take the dressing off after 3 days and leave the incision open to air. If it gets dirty or bothers you sooner, it is fine to remove it early.
You may shower after 3 days. Let the water run over the incision, then pat it dry.
No baths, pools or hot tubs until your incision is checked, usually at 2 weeks.
Do not put creams or ointments on the incision.

Medicines

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) on a schedule is the foundation of pain control. Do not take more than 3,000 mg a day.
Muscle relaxers and nerve pain medicines may be prescribed for the first few weeks.
In New Jersey, a first opioid prescription is limited to 5 days. Call 2 to 3 days before you run out if you need more.
After a fusion, avoid ibuprofen, naproxen and similar anti-inflammatory medicines for 6 weeks unless told otherwise, because they can slow bone healing. After a disc replacement, these medicines are often encouraged.
Take a stool softener while you are on strong pain pills, and drink plenty of water.

Driving and Work

You may drive once you are off strong pain medicine and can turn your head or brake hard without pain, often at 2 to 3 weeks.
Desk work is often possible at 2 to 6 weeks, depending on the operation.
Physical jobs usually take about 3 months, once X-rays show healing and your strength is back.
We provide work notes along the way.

When to Call

Call 911 for trouble breathing, chest pain, sudden weakness in your arms or legs, or signs of a stroke. After neck surgery, call 911 for neck swelling that keeps getting bigger or trouble swallowing liquids.

Call the office right away for a fever over 101.5 F, redness, swelling or drainage from the incision, new numbness or weakness, loss of bladder or bowel control, a severe headache when you sit up that improves when you lie down, or calf pain or swelling on one side.

Follow-Up Visits

About 2 weeks: incision check and medicine review.
About 6 weeks: X-rays, start physical therapy, plan your activity and work.
3, 6 and 12 months: X-rays to confirm healing and release to full activity.

Recovery Guides by Procedure

Each guide has a recovery dial you can slide to see what a typical week looks like.

Questions?

Offices in Somers Point, Cherry Hill, and Brick, New Jersey, as part of Progressive Spine & Orthopaedics.
New patients: 609-800-3472
Existing patients: 609-800-3472

This page is general information, not medical advice. Your treatment should be based on an evaluation by your own physician.