How Much Time Does It Take To Recover From Spine Fusion Surgery?

Juliet D'cruz

Updated on:

Previously, anyone who considered spine surgery for their pain issues could expect to be out of work for weeks or even months. They were informed not to perform any physical activities such as strength training and workouts for at least five or six months. 

While open back surgery has still been required in some cases, many patients who require spine surgery could now be treated with the help of laser back surgery and they could come back to work in as little as a week. 

What is spine fusion surgery?

Spinal fusion is a surgical procedure that permanently joins two or more vertebral columns into one fossilized bone with really no space among both of them. Vertebrae seem to be the spine’s comparatively tiny, interlocking bones. 

Extra bone is often used in spinal fusion to fill up space that normally exists between two or more separate vertebrae. There will be no space between them once the bone heals. Spinal fusion is also referred to as: anterior spinal fusion arthrodesis, fusion of the lower spine, and Interbody fusion of the vertebrae. 

Spinal fusion is used to treat or alleviate the symptoms of a variety of spinal problems. The procedure eliminates mobility between both the two vertebrae that have been treated. This may reduce flexibility, but it is helpful in treating spinal disorders that cause pain when moving. These are some of the disorders:

  • Tumours
  • Spinal stenosis
  • Herniated discs
  • Your spinal column could be unstable due to degenerative disc disease or multiple fractures.
  • Scoliosis is a condition in which the spine curves inward (curvature of the spine)
  • Kyphosis 
  • Due to severe arthritis, tumours, or infections, the spine may become weak or unstable.
  • Spondylolisthesis 

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Recovery Time by Procedure

Not all spine surgeries are created consistently when it comes to the recovery period. Conventional spine surgery necessitates the physician opening the back to obtain access to the spine, resulting in a wound many inches long. The disposal or merging of bone, as well as the accumulation of hardware to that same spine, is particularly prevalent in open back surgery.

The body takes a very long time to fully recover after these processes, and the process of healing can be quite painful. Laser spine surgery, on the other hand, enables physicians to cure most routine spine situations with the help of cutting-edge laser technology; even just a small incision is considered necessary, and the whole process can be performed in an outpatient program using only a local anesthetic.

While the accurate recovery time varies depending on the process and each individual’s personal body, often these laser spine surgical treatments recover completely in 2 to 6 weeks. In comparison, conventional back surgery patients may require as little as 2 weeks for the injury to heal and as much as a year to make a full recovery. The period of time a person must be away from work before going back to work varies depending on the person’s job. 

Patients who work physically demanding jobs should indeed wait until they have been completely healed before returning to work. While patients who have desk jobs can come back to work as soon as they are comfortable. They can only go out when they are no longer required for prescription pain relievers.

Patients who work at a desk can usually come back to work one week after laser spine surgery and six weeks after conventional spine surgery. Patients who work physically demanding jobs must wait the entire recovery period, as highlighted above. 

Recovery times for rare but severe conditions may differ significantly from this estimate. Furthermore, if you have surgery on more than one section of your spine, your recovery time will be longer.

What if you cannot wait this long to get to your work? Do you need a better solution for back surgery? Then you should consider TOPS System Premia Spine. The TOPS System can treat lumbar spondylolisthesis as well as stenosis without requiring spinal fusion. The TOPS device is an alternative to the traditional fusion surgery. 

Many individuals use the TOPS System since this helps them maintain flow and stability. Particularly in comparison to decompression, the surgeon will remove the bone fragments that press on the nerves during the procedure. The TOPS System is then implanted through an area to restore a more constrained range of motion inside the lumbar spine. 

Even if you have numbness, leg pain, or low-back pain, individuals can still flex, move, stretch, and do the things you couldn’t have done before the surgery because of the back pain.

Tips to improve Recovery

It’s critical to take actions to ease your healing when you do get home, whether your recovery is expected to be longer or shorter. While these precautions are especially important for people undergoing a massive spine surgery, they should be followed by all patients.

  • Get moving – Even though it will take a bit of time to fully restore mobility, you could perhaps walk for at least a few minutes in the first week after surgery. This improves circulation as well as gastrointestinal health while also keeping your muscles strong. Maintain your commitment to physical therapy whenever you recover further.
  • Anticipate your restrictions- You should try anticipating your restrictions by scheduling babysitters, freezing healthy meals, cleaning your floors, and keeping frequently used items within reach. Exercising excessively in the days following surgery can cause recovery to be slowed.
  • Get in touch with your doctor – Share information with your doctor if you really are beginning to experience side effects from a medicine, showing signs of infection, or simply feeling unsure about your healing.
  • Try maintaining a healthy lifestyle – Maintain a healthy lifestyle by eating healthier foods at frequent intervals, attempting to get a decent night’s rest every night (without excessive daytime napping), and maintaining good posture.

These hints can help to speed up any recovery while also making it much more comfortable. They also aid in the prevention of post-surgery complications, which are a prevalent trigger of slow recovery.

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