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World Class Spine Care In Austin, TX

What to Expect After Your Back Surgery

No matter how much your back pain has impacted your quality of life and no matter how badly you want to have it fixed, there’s a good chance that you’re hesitant about having back surgery.

The whole idea of surgery can be intimidating, and that’s especially true when you’re talking about surgery on your spine. If you are concerned, or even considering to live with your pain as a result of your fears, the best thing you can do is to familiarize yourself with what recovery from minimally invasive spine surgery looks like: the more you know, the more comfortable you are likely to be.

The first thing that you need to understand is that minimally invasive surgery gets its name from the fact that it inflicts so little trauma on the body, both externally and internally.

Though you may envision your surgeon wielding a scalpel and making a long cut through your skin, fat, tissue and muscle, the truth is that this state-of-the-art technique uses smaller surgical tools, makes tiny, nearly bloodless incisions, and the same type of incisions in your body’s internal structures. This shift creates a sea change in terms of your recovery. Here’s what you can expect:

Going Home

In most cases, patients undergoing minimally invasive spine surgery are able to return home on the same day as their procedure. Though there are certain types of surgery that necessitate an overnight stay so that the team can monitor you, even those stays are much shorter than would be the case using traditional surgical techniques.

Healing

Because of the minimal amount of structural damage that minimally invasive spine surgery does to muscles and tissue, there is much less tissue healing required. Patients whose surgery involves bone fusion may find that their healing takes a bit longer. Your overall health condition will also play a role in your healing, but many patients are fully healed within a few weeks.

Pain

With today’s intense focus on the dangers of opioid addiction, many patients shy away from surgical procedures for fear of needing pain relief. The small incisions of minimally invasive spine surgery mean that pain is also minimized. Most patients are able to discontinue pain medication within a few days, and those who had been taking pain medication prior to their surgery discover that the procedure has provided enough relief for them to stop taking the medications.

Return to Normal Activities

Though patients whose normal activities are extremely strenuous or involve heavy lifting will need a bit more time to get back to normal, for those whose engage in less active or challenging lifestyles the return to normal activities will find themselves able to get back to them quickly.  Your physician will be able to provide you with an assessment that takes into consideration your overall health and specific activity level.

To learn how we can help you with your back pain and what you can expect from minimally invasive spine surgery, contact us today to set up an appointment.