My Spine - Lumbar
The length of the incision depends on various factors such as patient size, the
number of spinal levels involved and your specialist’s preference. The length
of the incision is actually of little consequence with regard to the success of
the operation. The soft tissue and muscles that are attached to the vertebrae
are stripped away by a combination of electrosurgical cautery (a blade that
cuts with an electrical current) and dissecting instruments. A small amount of
bone as big as the nail on your little finger or slightly more is removed along
with some ligaments. This allows direct access to the nerves. They are retract-
ed and the disc fragment is removed. Thereafter the wound is stitched up.
Ward care
You would be expected to get out of bed quite soon and usually on the first
day following surgery or even on the same day. You may usually walk around
as much as you want, but you should take care and not sit for too long or on
a seat that is very low. This is to prevent you from having a repeat disc pro-
lapse (herniation). Most specialists recommend a duration of 30 minutes or
less of sitting at a time. It is best to sit on a chair that is at the height of a
barstool.
Discharge
You would normally be discharged at about one to three days after surgery,
depending on the degree of pain and disability you are experiencing and on
the absence of any complicating wound factors or concern about your gener-
al health at the time.
The hospital staff will assist you in obtaining your follow-up consultation
bookings, the prescribed analgesics to take home, the sick leave-certificate to
be provided by your doctor and the instructions regarding wound care provi-
sions in the post-operative period.
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