What are the risks involved in spine operations?

No operation is free of risks. Possibility of complications is higher if the operation is very major.In routine spine operations the complication rate is negligible. Complications occurring after a surgery can make the whole exercise lamentable. But one has to risk something to gain something. Airplane crashes do occur but that does not deter people from flying. That is because the number of plane crashes is only a small fraction of the number of successful flights the world over. Crashes occur despite utmost care from all the involved persons. Similarly doctors take utmost precautions to avoid any complications. The complication rate is too low compared to the number of successful operations. But still complications may occur and one has to be prepared for them keeping faith in the treating doctor. One has to weigh the possible benefits against the potential risks and then venture into an operation if the likely benefits are greater than the risks. It is reasonable enough to know the complications but one need not fear an operation for the possibility of complications just as one hardly bothers about the possibility of a plane crash while deciding to travel by air or a Vehicular accident while travelling by road.