Every patient’s back surgery success rate starts with understanding your own goals and expectations. It is important that you communicate what your idea of success is to the surgeon.
Tell them what your expectations are post-surgery. Make sure your surgeon understands your recovery goals. Let them know everything about your pain.
Your spine surgeon can then let you know how likely surgery is to accomplish those goals. Your surgeon will be able to address your questions based on your specific condition and goals.
What are the benefits of back surgery?
In most cases, the goals of back surgery are to reduce pain, allow patients to be more active, and improve quality of life. Generally, surgery is recommended only when other more conservative medical treatments have not offered significant relief of symptoms.
Factors that influence the back surgery success rate
Some additional benefits of surgery might include:
- You can go back to work safely
- You are more productive at work
- You can sleep better
- You don’t need as much pain medicine
- You can become more physically fit
- You can move around better
- Your mood improves
Risks and potential complications
As serious as back surgery seems, most people who undergo back surgery experience no complications. Modern techniques and technological advances have improved the safety of back surgery.
Your spine surgeon will identify specific problems based on your condition and work with you to avoid any complications that could arise.
Often you will undergo a medical evaluation to make your risks in undergoing surgery are reduced as much as possible. However, despite all the efforts to eliminate complications, there are still risks to undergoing back surgery.
Risks that affect your back surgery success rate may include:
- Reaction to anesthesia
- Reaction to drugs after surgery
- Pain
- Bleeding
- Infection
- Nerve or spinal cord damage, which can lead to weakness, paralysis, pain, sexual dysfunction or loss of bowel or bladder control
- Trouble with any implants used during surgery
- Lack of bone healing (when fusion surgery is performed)
- Spinal fluid leak
- Medical complications such as heart attack, blood clots, stroke, or respiratory failure
A life free of constant pain
In most cases, the benefits of having surgery far outweigh the potential complications or spinal surgery risks. OrthoIndy surgeons do not recommend surgery unless the expected benefits outweigh the risks.
With years of experience and the most cutting-edge tools available, OrthoIndy spine surgeons have a high back surgery success rate, and they will give you the best chance possible to achieve your goals.
Schedule an appointment
Your well-being is important to us. Call us at 317.802.2883 to schedule an appointment or make an appointment request online.
If your injury or condition is recent, you can walk right into one of our OrthoIndy Urgent Care locations for immediate care. For rehabilitation and physical therapy, no referral is needed to see one of our physical therapists.
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Checklist on Prepping for Back Surgery
Having back surgery? Find out what you can do now to make your recovery go smoothly and learn other ways to prepare, including what to pack and bring along to the hospital.
