Recovery Times and Tips After Laser Spine Surgery

By Choll Kim

Laser spine surgery is the least invasive option when it comes to having any form of spinal surgery. Unfortunately this type of technique cannot be used on all spinal injuries, so you will have to discuss the options with your surgeon to identify which techniques will work best based on your particular spinal issues. In most instances laser spine surgery is only used on small back issues.
It is important, as with any surgery, that you prepare in advance. Ensure you have plenty of groceries at home with someone who can cook and care for your family while you recover. Recovery time varies from patient to patient, so staying active and fit for as long as possible before your surgery can help you recover that little bit quicker moving forward.
The cause and severity of your spinal issues will determine what surgery is the best solution for you. There are two types of laser spine surgery; the first is decompression surgery and the second is stabilization surgery. Both will have similar recovery times.

On the day of your surgery, ensure you have someone who can drop you at the hospital at the agreed time, this can reduce your need to drive. Remember after the surgery you will not be driving for a while, until you are recovered and feel comfortable and confident in the driver's seat.
After the surgery, you may stay over night for observation. This is usually a decision which is made by your surgeon and medical team. Staying over night for monitoring ensures that your pain medication is working and you are not experiencing any unnecessary pain, which may get worse once you get home.
When you have been discharged, don't expect to be running any marathons any time soon or spend a day playing football with the family. Recovery time can feel slow, though with laser surgery it is much faster than if you had traditional surgery.
Take your surgeons recovery tips seriously. Write them down if you have to so that you know what you can and cannot do and what you should be doing to aid your recovery. Depending on what your surgery was for, your surgeon may encourage you to get up and get moving within a few hours of surgery. Again, you are not expected to run a marathon, but you should move around the home just to get some movement in your body.
Take it easy for the next few weeks and don't over exert yourself. Up to eighty six percent of patients who have this type of surgery return to work in three months and can resume all their normal daily activities within the three month period. This is a massive difference between the six to twelve month recovery period if you were to have traditional surgery.

Start with baby steps. Ensure you keep a chair nearby when cooking, so if you feel you have overdone it, you can sit down and rest. Do a little more each day building your confidence and managing your pain accordingly.
The good news with laser spine surgery is that you don't have a large incision on your back which means that you don't have a long scar which has been stitched to deal with. You will have one or two small incisions which will heal within days, so all you have to focus on is getting up and moving and returning to daily life as quickly as possible.

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