Back Pain SmartSite ^TM

Questions to ask your doctor about spine surgery

Deciding about spine surgery

What are the different types of spine surgery?

What are the reasons for having spine surgery? Are there any reasons why I should avoid having surgery? Is there any harm in waiting or deciding not to have surgery?

Do the symptoms I am having match up with findings on an MRI scan?

How likely is it that my pain and other symptoms will improve after surgery? Will all my symptoms go away or will I still have some?

Will I be able to do the sports and other activities that I want to after surgery?
Will I be able to return to work?

If I get better after surgery, what is the chance that I will have back pain again in the future?

What are the risks for complications from this surgery?

After surgery is scheduled

Is there anything that I can do before the surgery to increase the chance that it will help?

What exercises should I do to make my muscles stronger?
Do I need to lose weight before surgery?
Where can I get help quitting cigarettes or not drinking alcohol, if I need to?
Do I need to see my primary care physician or any specialists before surgery?

What will surgery be like?

How long will the surgery last?
What type of anesthesia will be used? Are there choices to consider?
Will I be in a lot of pain after surgery? What will be done to relieve the pain?

Will I need to stay in the hospital?

How long do I need to stay in the hospital?
What kind of help do I need to have at home after surgery?

Do I need to stop taking any medicines before my surgery?

Aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), or other arthritis drugs?
Vitamins, minerals, herbs, and supplements?
Blood thinner medicines?
Other prescription drugs that my other doctors may have given me?

What should I do the night before my surgery?

When do I need to stop eating or drinking?
What medicines should I take the day of surgery?
What time do I need to be at the hospital?

Who should I bring with me to the hospital?

Will I be able to go home after surgery?

Rate This Page

Tell Us
What You Think...

Bad

Great


1	2	3	4	5

Schedule An Appointment with a physician at our hospital.

Review Date: 4/3/2018

Reviewed By: C. Benjamin Ma, MD, Professor, Chief, Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service, UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, San Francisco, CA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

View References:

Bronfort G, Hondras MA, Schulz CA, Evans RL, Long CR, Grimm R. Spinal manipulation and home exercise with advice for subacute and chronic back-related leg pain: a trial with adaptive allocation. Ann Intern Med. 2014;161(6):381-391. PMID: 25222385 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25222385.

Cohen SP, Hanling S, Bicket MC, et al. Epidural steroid injections compared with gabapentin for lumbosacral radicular pain: multicenter randomized double blind comparative efficacy study. BMJ. 2015;350:h1748. PMID: 25883095 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25883095.

Chou R, Hashimoto R, Friedly J, et al. Epidural corticosteroid injections for radiculopathy and spinal stenosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Ann Intern Med. 2015;163(5):373-381. PMID: 26302454 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26302454.

Chou R. In the clinic. Low back pain. Ann Intern Med. 2014;160(11):ITC6-1. PMID: 25009837 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25009837.

Deyo RA, Von Korff M, Duhrkoop D. Opioids for low back pain. BMJ. 2015;350:g6380. PMID: 25561513 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25561513.

Eismont FJ, Norton RP, Hirsch BP. Surgical management of lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2014;22(4):203-213. PMID: 24668350 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24668350.

Fritz JM, Magel JS, McFadden M, et al. Early physical therapy vs usual care in patients with recent-onset low back pain: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2015;314(14):1459-1467. PMID: 26461996 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26461996.

Furlan AD, Giraldo M, Baskwill A, Irvin E, Imamura M. Massage for low-back pain. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015;(9):CD001929. PMID: 26329399 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26329399.

Gardocki RJ, Park AL. Degenerative disorders of the thoracic and lumbar spine. In: Azar FM, Beaty JH, Canale ST, eds. Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics. 13th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2017:chap 39.

Hooten WM, Cohen SP. Evaluation and treatment of low back pain: a clinically focused review for primary care specialists. Mayo Clin Proc. 2015;90(12):1699-1718. PMID: 26653300 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26653300.

Maas ET, Ostelo RW, Niemisto L, et al. Radiofrequency denervation for chronic low back pain. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015;(10):CD008572. PMID: 26495910 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26495910.

Manchikanti L, Cash KA, Pampati V, Falco FJ. Transforaminal epidural injections in chronic lumbar disc herniation: a randomized, double-blind, active-control trial. Pain Physician. 2014;17(4):E489-E501. PMID: 25054399 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25054399.

Mayer EAK, Maddela R. Interventional nonoperative management of neck and back pain. In: Steinmetz MP, Benzel EC, eds. Benzel's Spine Surgery: Techniques, Complication Avoidance, and Management. 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2017:chap 107.

Mazanec DJ, DeMicco RC. Medical management of neck and low back pain. In: Steinmetz MP, Benzel EC, eds. Benzel's Spine Surgery: Techniques, Complication Avoidance, and Management. 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2017:chap 106.

Peul WC, Bredenoord AL, Jacobs WC. Avoid surgery as first line treatment for non-specific low back pain. BMJ. 2014;349:g4214. PMID: 25030631 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25030631.

Rasouli MR, Rahimi-Movaghar V, Shokraneh F, Moradi-Lakeh M, Chou R. Minimally invasive discectomy versus microdiscectomy/open discectomy for symptomatic lumbar disc herniation. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014;(9):CD010328. PMID: 25184502 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25184502.

Schneider M, Haas M, Glick R, Stevans J, Landsittel D. Comparison of spinal manipulation methods and usual medical care for acute and subacute low back pain: a randomized clinical trial. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2015;40(4):209-217. PMID: 25423308 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25423308.

Steiger F, Becker HJ, Standaert CJ, et al. Surgery in lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis: indications, outcomes and complications. A systematic review. Eur Spine J. 2014;23(5):945-973. PMID: 24402446 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24402446.

Vaccaro AR, Fisher CG, Whang PG, et al. Evidence-based recommendations for spine surgery. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2014;39(19):E1183-E1189. PMID: 25166476 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25166476.

Yavin D, Hurlbert RJ. Nonsurgical and postsurgical management of low back pain. In: Winn HR, ed. Youmans and Winn Neurological Surgery. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2017:chap 281.

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy, reliability, timeliness, or correctness of any translations made by a third-party service of the information provided herein into any other language. © 1997- A.D.A.M., a business unit of Ebix, Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.

| |

A.D.A.M. content is best viewed in IE9 or above, Firefox and Google Chrome browser.

Your Personal Health Information

Disclaimer: I understand that I am voluntarily submitting personal information that relates to my health status. This information is not intended to be used for providing healthcare services or for the payment for any past, present or future healthcare services. I understand that by voluntarily submitting the data electronically, the data may be accessed, used or disclosed by a third-party. By submitting this data, I waive any rights to privacy, security or confidentiality of such data provided by state or federal laws.

Authorization: Through my electronic submission, I hereby submit and authorize the release of the personally identifiable health information requested by the electronic surveys and data contained within the A.D.A.M.’s SmartSites™ “Program”, to A.D.A.M. Inc. I hereby authorize the disclosure of my individually identifiable health information for the purposes of performing a health assessment and for the purposes of Program. The personal health information may be used or disclosed by Program and its administrators for business management and operations. I understand that A.D.A.M. Inc. is not a healthcare provider and this Program will not condition my ability to obtain treatment, payment for healthcare services or eligibility for enrollment for health benefits. I also acknowledge and agree that by submitting such information I understand that I am waiving any confidentiality, privacy or security protections provided by State and federal laws and the information may be subject to re-disclosure. I also understand that I may revoke this authorization by submitting a written revocation statement to HIPAA@adamcorp.com to cease the further use or disclosure of the personally identifiable health information. A.D.A.M. Inc. and its users may rely upon this authorization to use and disclose the submitted information prior to receipt of the written revocation notice. This authorization shall be effective on the date the information is submitted and valid for the term that this Program is available for use or for the time period permitted by state law, whichever is longer.

I AGREE
I DO NOT AGREE

Back Pain SmartSite TM

Questions to ask your doctor about spine surgery

Deciding about spine surgery

After surgery is scheduled

Back Pain SmartSite ^TM