Most individuals who undergo laminectomy or discectomy-type surgeries can expect to return to work within about two weeks' time. An exercise program is usually initiated within about six weeks, and full recovery is expected by three months. Spinal fusion surgery requires longer recovery times. A gentle exercise program may be initiated as soon as two weeks after surgery, with a probable return to work at about six weeks after surgery. More comprehensive physical therapy may be in place by three months, with fusion expected by approximately six months. While an individual may return to most all activities by about six months, it is not expected that a complete recovery is reached before approximately one year. It is expected, however, that the individual is released to full-unrestricted activities at about that time.
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This question is best answered by an individual surgeon on a case by case basis with their patient, as this will vary among different practices and types of surgeries dramatically.
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A herniated disc operation performed to relieve severe radiating leg pain typically has relief of leg pain in a matter of hours or days. Often it may take months to recover the sensation or motor deficits of a herniated disc and sometimes this never happens. Most surgeons would ask the patient to refrain from extensive lifting, twisting, bending and stooping for 4-6 weeks following a disc operation, at which point normal activities can be started again. A fusion operation often takes 6-9 months for bone fusion, 4-6 weeks with implants. Each surgeon has their own protocol for physical activities following surgery.
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This is very specific to the individual, the disease being treated and the surgical procedure. Regardless, most patients are walking within 24 hours of surgery and go home with the ability to care for themselves. Within 3 mos., one should be back to normal everyday activities. Within 6 mos., one should be able to perform any activity except unique highly labor intensive activities.
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Recovery time depends on the type of surgery you undergo. When properly trained spinal surgeons perform minimally invasive surgery, recovery can be rapid. Many patients who undergo this type of surgery leave the hospital within a few hours of their surgery and can return to non-demanding jobs within a few days. However, some more complex surgeries may require up to 3 months before patients may return to normal activities.
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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.
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The hospital stay for back surgery usually ranges from 2 to 5 days depending on the type of treatment that the patient is to receive.
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The recovery completely depends on the type of procedure that is being performed, the number of levels, and the patient's preoperative health status. Recoveries can range from 3 weeks to 3 months.
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Your recovery is very individual. It depends on how extensive your surgery is and on how severe your symptoms were. Some surgeries require only a few days to weeks to recover and others require weeks to months.
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Fusion up to 6 months; laminectomy--3 months.
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Recovery from surgery occurs in stages. With most modern surgical techniques patients are able to ambulate on the day of surgery. This allows for discharge within 24 hrs for an uncomplicated disc excision. When a fusion is performed the recovery takes longer. The fusion takes months to consolidate, however functional recovery can progress much more quickly depending on the surgical approach and use of instrumentation. The use of minimally invasive approaches such as the laparoscopic technique can allow for discharge from the hospital within 24 - 48 hrs. Return of function requires tissue healing as well as physical reconditioning.
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The magnitude of the operation is the most important factor determining length of time of recovery. However, other factors such as age, overall medical status and level of function prior to illness and prior to surgery will also affect recovery. Some spinal procedures take only weeks to recover from, whereas others take multiple months. Your surgeon should discuss his or her expectation for length of time of recovery with you based upon the above variables.
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With a minimally invasive approach, most patients who do sedentary work can be back to work at least part time within a couple of weeks. Often they can be back full time within four weeks. When you have more extensive surgery such as a fusion, again depending on what kind of work you do, you may be off work anywhere from one to six months. Everyone has a different rate.
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Surgical recovery depends very much on the size and magnitude of the surgery involved. Patients who have simple decompression surgery, such as a microdiscectomy, usually stay in the hospital a maximum of one day and frequently can begin resuming normal activities within a period of weeks. Larger operations, such as fusion, require several days in the hospital and the total healing time for larger fusion operations may be up to one year. It is very frequent for rehabilitation to start immediately during the hospital phase and then advance as the fusion progresses or heals.
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Recovery time depends upon the specific situation, so you will need to ask your spine specialist to specifically answer this question. Generally speaking, most patients are able to walk within 24 hours of surgery, and are gradually returned to normal, non-strenuous activities in a period ranging from 3 weeks to 3 months.
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The single biggest factor in speed of recovery is probably the patient’s positive attitude and motivation. Other factors include age, overall fitness, and other associated medical conditions. Most people are back to work after lumbar discectomy in 4-6 weeks, and after spinal fusion (light duty) in 6-16 weeks, depending on the person.
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This depends upon how old you are your general health, and exactly what operation you have.
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Many factors contribute to the length of time that it takes a patient to recovery from spinal surgery. A patient’s general health and conditioning are very important. Those who are in better shape pre-operatively tend to recover quicker than those who are frail. The type of operation performed also determines the length of recovery. Patients undergoing microdiscectomy procedures are usually home the day after surgery and back to work within a few days. In contrast, fusion operations usually require several days in the hospital and several weeks to recover. A general goal after a fusion is to be walking one mile after one month, and two miles after two months of recovery. Newer techniques utilizing minimally invasive approaches allow for a quicker recovery.
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It depends on what is done. For a simple discectomy, patients usually recover within a week if they are fairly active. I try to keep my patients from doing rigorous activity for at least a month with a simple discectomy whether it is in the cervical spine or the lumbar spine. But with fusion operations the recovery time is a little longer. The recovery is faster using minimally invasive fusion techniques. Those techniques are so new that I am not sure I have a good handle on how much faster it is compared to a regular open fusion operation. With an open fusion operation I find that my patients really start feeling comfortable after about a month to two months.
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It depends on the procedure. A decompressive surgery recovers more quickly than fusion surgeries.
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It depends on the kind of procedure that you have. Some procedures, like spinal fusions, may require extensive exposure of the spine, and the recovery may take from six months to a year. With other surgical procedures, such as those done through a minimal invasive exposure, the patient may recovery more quickly - within four to six weeks.
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Recovery from surgery is individualized and depends on the surgical procedure.
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The commentary above recounts the experiences of these physicians. Medtronic invited them to share their stories candidly. Keep in mind that results vary; not every patient's response is the same. Talk with your doctor to learn more about any products that are mentioned above.
It is important that you discuss the potential risks, complications and benefits of spinal surgery with your doctor prior to receiving treatment, and that you rely on your doctor's judgment. Only your doctor can determine whether you are a suitable candidate for this treatment.
