Spinal surgery is a very complex procedure. As such, there are significant risks involved. Before being admitted into the hospital, you should discuss the possible problems and complications associated with your specific surgery with your surgeon. Once you know the risks of your surgery, you must decide if the benefits are worth the risk.
Spinal Fluid Leaks
During a spinal surgery, there is a chance that the membrane surrounding the spine will be ruptured. If this happens, spinal fluid may leak out. While this problem usually either corrects itself or is corrected during the initial surgery, there is a chance that another surgery will be necessary to fix the problem. If a spinal fluid leak is left untreated, meningitis and headaches are possible.
Infection
Infection is possible during any surgical procedure; however, some surgeons prescribe antibiotics for the patient prior to the surgery. In the case of spinal surgery, infections occur in less than one percent of patients, according to allaboutbackpain.com. Most procedures that use bone grafts or hardware have an increased risk of infection. Watch out for fluid oozing out of the surgical site, warmth around the surgical site or drainage that smells bad. Additionally, you may experience a fever or chills.
Blood Clots
Blood clots are a life threatening problem of spine surgeries. Generally, the blood clot will form in the legs and travel to the heart or lungs, sometimes both. Because of this, people who have had back surgery usually wear compression stockings after the surgery to minimize the risk of this happening.
Paralysis and Nerve Damage
Because of the high concentration of nerves in the spine, nerve damage and paralysis are possible following a back surgery. The risk of these can be minimized by ensuring that your surgeon is well qualified to perform the operation. Additionally, you should follow all after care instructions you are given.
Surgery Failure
In some cases, spinal surgery may not fully correct the problem. Persistent pain that is worse following the operation than it was prior to the operation is the most common type of surgery failure. This condition is called failed back surgery syndrome.
