What are the chances of paralysis after spine surgery?

The fear of paralysis after a back operation looms large on the patient’s mind, perpetrated by misinformation. The problem has been over exaggerated. It is a rare complication in the hands of a well trained and experienced spine surgeon. The same analogy as travelling by air and not fearing a crash, although one knows that a plane may crash, should be applied.Similarly a person well trained in the specialty of spine surgery is adequately well trained in handling the nerves and the possibility of paralysis in such trained hands is extremely rare. If the benefit to risk ratio is in the positive, one should take the chance of a successful outcome from an operation and trust the doctor to do his best. But in some rare and difficult cases the chances are little more.