Here's What to Expect After Your Cervical Spine Surgery

You’ve been struggling with neck pain and maybe symptoms in your arms and hands, and you’re looking forward to some much-needed relief. That relief is often on the other side of cervical spine surgery — a procedure on the rise thanks to an increase in cervical spine disease in the United States.

While there may be some comfort in knowing you’re in good company when opting for cervical spine surgery, you want to know what to expect afterward.

While no two patients follow the exact same recovery timeline, the team here at Miami Neuroscience Center, under the expert direction of board-certified neurosurgeon Dr. Aizik L. Wolf, pulled together a typical schedule.

Immediately after your cervical spine surgery

You will spend one night in the hospital after your cervical spine surgery. 

Depending on the extent of the surgery and our access point (front or back), you may wear a neck brace for a few days.

When it comes to managing any postsurgical pain, you’ll have access to intravenous medications that will keep you comfortable.

Once we’re satisfied that you can function well, eat solid foods, and manage everyday life on your own, we send you home.

Recovering at home after cervical spine surgery

Ideally, by the time you get home, everything is ready. It’s important to follow our preparation tips long before your surgery so that all you need to do when you get home is focus on recovery.

When we release you from the hospital, we provide you with very detailed aftercare instructions, and we want you to read through these carefully. These instructions are very thorough and cover incision site care, pain medication management, and recommended activity levels.

You won’t jump back into an active life when you first get home, so patience is key. During the first 3-6 weeks after your surgery, avoid activities that require bending, twisting, or lifting anything over 10 pounds. The one exercise we highly recommend is daily walking, which moves your body in a way that doesn’t strain your neck.

You will not  be driving during the first 1-2 weeks during of your recovery. We will provid 

When it comes to sleeping, we recommend keeping your neck in a neutral position at night, which means sleeping on your back or side. Whatever position you prefer, you want to avoid changing positions during the night, which can be uncomfortable during the first few weeks after your cervical spine surgery. To avoid this, you can place a long pillow on either side of you.

Long-term recovery

After your six-week check-in with us, we review your symptoms and take X-rays. If everything looks good, we give you the green light to gradually add activities to your roster so that you can reap the benefits of your neck surgery.

If you have more questions about what to expect after cervical spine surgery, please don’t hesitate to contact our office in South Miami, Florida.