Improvements in back pain can take many months to become evident so it is important to be patient with your recovery. This is incisional and post-operative pain that should slowly improve as the wound and muscles heal It is not unusual for back pain to persist for several months after a spinal fusion. It is very common to have back pain following a spinal fusion. This can also be associated with nausea and a feeling of not wanting to eat. It can take several days for the bowel to function normally again after the surgery. You may have some difficulty passing wind and stool for the first few days following ALIF. This is incisional and post-operative pain and should slowly improve as the wound and muscles heal. It is very common to have lower abdominal pain for the first few weeks following anterior spinal fusion. If you have had no improvement in your leg pain symptoms following the surgery, it is important to relay this to Dr Oehme. This slowly improves with time in most patients. It is very common to have numbness and tingling in the first few weeks after surgery. This is typically due to permanent nerve injury as a result of long standing nerve compression. Some patients will have pain, numbness or weakness that does not completely improve and may be permanent. At other times, it may take weeks or months for the symptoms to improve. Often patients will have immediate relief of their leg symptoms following the surgery.

How much pain relief you will receive, and how quickly it will occur after spinal fusion, are impossible to predict. Requirement for second procedure from the back of the spine.Abdominal viscera Injury - bowel injury.

Adjacent segment disease - problems at spinalВ levels next to the fused level.

Incomplete decompression of posterior pathology (unable to reach the backВ of the spine).

Progressive deformity of the lumbar spine - kyphosis or spondylolisthesis.

Nerve injury causingВ bowel or bladder problems.

Nerve injury causing pain, numbness,В weakness in the legs.

The specific risks will be discussed in detail prior to your surgery but may include: Specific Risks of Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion Small risk of significant neurological injury causing paralysis.RarelyВ another operation is required to drain the bloodclot and stop the bleeding. It can also occur at some timeВ after surgery. This can occur at the time of surgery and may necessitate aВ blood transfusion. Small risk of significant life-threatening eventДЄlthough spine surgery is generally safe, there are some risks whenever operations on the spine are performed.Lung problems, such as infection (pneumonia) or blood clots.Heart problems, such as heart attack (AMI)В or arrhythmia.It is important that you inform us of your correct age and any past medical problems, as this can influence the risk of anaesthesia. Risks of anaesthesia will be discussed with you by your anaesthetist prior to surgery. However, like any surgical procedure there are risks associated with both the anaesthetic and the procedure itself. вЂ‹ Most ALIF surgeries can be performed safely without any complications.

Spine align images to root