How much bed rest is required after a spine surgery?

In the current state of the art spine surgery, the aim is to get the patient on his feet as early as possible. In majority of the cases, the bed ridden state lasts only for about 3 to 5 days after which the patient is allowed to walk and carry out the activities of daily living. Most of us know a friend or relative who has suffered a fracture and had to treated by placing rods or plates and screws to fix a fractured bone. Till recently such use of metallic rods and plates was done only in the bones of arms, forearms and legs. Due to recent advances, we can now also put these metallic devices in the spine for better results in certain spine problems. These devices are used when vertebrae are not stable and move excessively due to injury or other reasons. In the current orthopaedic concept when the emphasis is early mobilization after an operation, these devices play a major role. With a better understanding of spinal problems, a given condition is tackled with the minimum amount of surgery required. We do not disturb anything that would alter the structure of the spine. Whenever necessary, i.e. in case of structural instability, we use metallic implants or devices to increase the stability of the spine.The belief “Bigger the operation, longer the patient needs to stay in bed” is incorrect. Earlier a patient gets out of bed, earlier the body returns to normal routine and t is morale boosting.