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Back Surgery Complications

Back pain can range from somewhat annoying, to completely unbearable. Different reasons exist for why a person may need back surgery but potential risks with any surgery. Despite complications, back surgery may be your only answer for various types of back pain. Discuss your concerns with your physician to determine the best possible course of action.

  1. Reasons

    • There are a number of reasons why a person may need back surgery such as traumatic injuries, aging and deterioration of the spine. Back pain may be relieved with a surgical procedure known as spinal fusion, which helps to stabilize the spine by fusing two bones together. Ruptured disks can result in an unbearable amount of pain by putting pressure on nerves. A diskectomy removes the herniated section to relieve both pain and pressure.

    Risks

    • Surgery risks include excessive bleeding, infection, allergic reaction to the anesthetic, spinal fluid leakage and damage that may result in stroke and even death in serious occasions. Anesthesia used during back surgery can range from localized anesthesia to a full spinal block. Anesthesia is associated with serious risks although the most common complication of spinal anesthesia is a headache caused by leaking of this fluid. This only happens in 1% - 2% of all spinal anesthetic procedures.

    Considerations

    • Speak with your doctor about any concerns you have prior to having back surgery. Together the two of you can determine whether back surgery is really necessary to fix back pain. You can also determine what possible risk factors stand in your way such as age, overall health and previous surgery complications. Your doctor may discuss alternatives to back surgery if the risks are too high.

    Warning

    • If you have high blood pressure, talk to your doctor about medication since pain and surgery can raise your blood pressure even higher, putting you at risk for stroke and heart attack. Before going in for back surgery, make sure that you are healthy and in good shape. Death occurs in about 1 in 250,000 people receiving general anesthesia (but the risk goes up for those with serious medical conditions).

    Prevention/Solution

    • If you have a medical history of surgery complications consider discussing physical therapy or chiropractic services with your doctor in place of back surgery. A chiropractor may be able to fix problems with back pain, especially those that are not severe. Physical therapy may help you avoid back surgery and is usually recommended as a means of healing after surgery.

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