The recovery period that follows collapsed disc surgery can vary widely from patient to patient. That’s because many individual factors can affect the healing process. When planning your surgery and recovery, you should begin with an in-depth conversation with the surgeon who will perform your procedure. With firsthand knowledge of your unique circumstances as well as the specific surgical technique that will be used to help you, he or she is your single best source of information regarding what you can expect both during and after your surgery.

Simply put, there is no one recovery timeline that can be accurately applied to every patient who has collapsed disc surgery. But, it probably goes without saying that well-informed patients make the best healthcare decisions. Therefore, you are encouraged to learn about some of the factors that can influence the surgical healing process. This can help you feel better prepared for your own experience.

Each patient’s health condition is unique

A patient’s overall health status can influence the outcome of collapsed disc surgery. Consider that every type of surgery involves incisions, which are essentially wounds, and wound healing is a highly complex process. In fact, there are many lifestyle factors that can inhibit wound healing, such as tobacco use, alcohol consumption and obesity. Additionally, certain medications can interfere with the body’s ability to form blood clots, which can complicate the recovery process in unpredictable ways.

Furthermore, the skin naturally loses elasticity and collagen over time due to age-related degeneration, and each of these elements plays a key role in aiding the wound healing process. The body’s immune system also becomes progressively weaker with age, and this can increase the risk of surgical complications like infection.

Surgical techniques can vary in invasiveness

Some patients have collapsed disc surgery to address a relatively precise area of the spine, such as a small bone spur that formed in the low back. Others require more extensive surgery to address issues that affect multiple levels of the spine, such as cervical and lumbar spinal stenosis (narrowing). Generally speaking, the recovery period that follows an extensive procedure will be longer than that associated with a procedure that is more limited in scope.

Finally, while some patients choose to undergo open neck or back surgery, others elect to have minimally invasive collapsed disc surgery. At USA Spine Care, we offer minimally invasive outpatient surgery as a safer and effective alternative to traditional open spine surgery. Using muscle-sparing techniques, our surgeons are able to spread muscles without cutting. This is one reason why our minimally invasive spine surgery has no lengthy recovery.^

If you’d like to learn more about USA Spine Care and our minimally invasive collapsed disc surgery, contact us today and find out if you’re a candidate for one of our outpatient procedures.

Browse Related Resources