If you suffer from back pain or sciatica, you know how difficult it is to maintain an active lifestyle. If you have tried with conservative treatments such as physiotherapy or injections and are still experiencing pain, you might be a candidate for keyhole spinal surgery.
Knowing that you or your family needs surgery is a stressful experience, even if it is a keyhole procedure. While surgery aims to restore your body and improve your health, many patients are scared by it. One of the best ways to prepare for an operation is knowing what to expect during recovery. Of course, if spine surgeons recommend surgery for your condition, you might be wondering how the recovery process works after you complete the procedure.
Often after keyhole spinal surgery, you have questions about how to return to your healthy lifestyle. You might wonder when you can work again or if you can look after your family and children. When can you return to your healthy routine life?
Dr Surya Prakash Rao Voleti, a spine surgeon, provided this blog gives information about how long does it take to recover from keyhole spine surgery.
What Is Keyhole Surgery:
Keyhole surgery, which some times is mislabelled as a laparoscopic surgery, which has been widely used by doctors in many areas as a less intrusive method of treating health conditions that require surgery. This operation is less risky, and the stress is less on the than open surgery. Actually, laparoscopic surgery refers to abdominal surgeries done by keyhole method.
As the access is minimal, One needs lighting and magnification to perform the keyhole procedure. Some doctors use a microscope and some use an endoscope to assist them in performing the surgery.
Though Minimally invasive surgeries may be indicated on a case-to-case basis, they allow shorter recovery times and smaller incisions and reduce the risk of infection. This procedure is also beneficial for elderly patients and others who are prone to infections and complications of the spine. The most common keyhole surgeries include orthopaedic spine surgery.
When can Patient Go Home After Surgery?
Because the incision is minimal, and blood loss is shallow in keyhole spinal surgery, many patients can leave the hospital on the same day of the operation. But it depends on the specific procedure you have and your recovery. In our country, most patients prefer to stay at least for a day to gain more confidence and many times for insurance purposes.
Some surgeries on the spine only require tiny internal incisions in the discs and bone tissue. In this case, you may be able to return home within a few hours after surgery. Other keyhole spinal surgeries, such as lumbar fusion, may require you to stay in the hospital little longer to ensure that your condition is stable before leaving the hospital.
How Long Does It Take To Recover After Keyhole Spinal Surgery?
The overall healing time after minimally invasive spinal surgery is shorter than the standard open surgery approach. It is because of small incisions and minimal damage to the lumbar muscle during keyhole procedures.
Some interventions, such as radiofrequency surgery on spinal tumours or kyphoplasty, to stabilize vertebral compression fractures, heal relatively quickly, and have some postoperative limitations. Other keyhole procedures, such as lumbar fusion, improve more slowly, depending on how strong bones of your spine heals.
A surgeon will monitor your progress and tell you whether it is safe to resume normal activities after surgery. However, you can be sure that you will recover in a few weeks after surgery.
Need for Pain medication after Keyhole Spinal Surgery Is Minimal:
Because the incision is minimal, and the lumbar muscle gets protected from deep dissection during keyhole spinal surgery, the need for opioid drugs to treat postoperative pain is also reduced. It means that your body does not have to face the side effects of taking heavy medication during the recovery so that you can return to your previously active lifestyle faster.
Of course, any intervention that requires the small incision can cause discomfort or pain, and your surgeon can control the pain as needed. Many patients benefit from short post spinal physiotherapy to increase mobility and learn exercises to prevent future problems with back pain.
During keyhole spinal surgery, the lower back muscles do not cause any severe injury, and therefore the rehabilitation process is significantly shorter. Some patients can independently do gentle posture and stretching exercises.
Return To Work After Keyhole Spinal Surgery
Returning to work after keyhole spinal surgery depends on many factors. Does your job require heavy lifting or prolonged sitting? Is light work or modified work available? All of these factors determine when you can return to regular duties at work.
Because the incision is tiny in keyhole surgery and lumbar muscles won’t get spared, you can expect to return to work within a few weeks and not several months after spinal surgery.
By choosing keyhole spine surgery for your back, you can expect fewer risk factors, less pain, and faster recovery. Only a handful of trained spine surgeon in Hyderabad offers keyhole spinal surgery. By finding the right surgeon, you can recover smoothly and quickly return to your previous level of function.
Recovery Times For Keyhole Spine Surgery:
- You can return home two to three days after keyhole spine procedures.
- If you have a sitting job, you can get back to work in a week or two.
- When you undergo several operations, your recovery time will extend, but an invasive keyhole approach will provide benefits that cannot be provided by standard open procedures.
As you know, the surgery is a procedure – you cannot expect to return to work the next day. However, one or two weeks is much better than one or two months.
Conclusion:
Keyhole procedures can make a real difference in how the patient feels immediately after surgery and during recovery. Fewer injuries and small incisions mean less risk, more comfortable recovery, and a faster return to work.
Although these are typical of what a patient expects after invasive surgery is minimal, it is essential to consult with a spine surgeon about what you expect from your particular situation.
Back pain is not a joke, so we have to do whatever is necessary. As a spine surgeon, Dr Surya Prakash Rao Voleti understands how back pain can affect your life and is ready to help get you back on track. Contact us today at +91 9848024699 to learn more about our keyhole invasive spine surgery services!
If you suffer from chronic neck or back pain, now it’s time to make an appointment with Dr Surya Prakash Rao Voleti spine surgeon Hyderabad, who has performed many successful keyhole spinal surgeries throughout his career.
