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Foraminotomy - Recovery

Alternative Names

Intervertebral foramina; Spine surgery - foraminotomy

After the Procedure:

You will probably be wearing a soft neck collar afterwards if the surgery was on your neck. Most people are able to get out of bed and sit up within 2 hours after surgery. You will need to move your neck carefully.

You should be able to leave the hospital the day after the surgery. You should be able to drive within a week or 2 and get back to light work after 4 weeks.

Outlook (Prognosis):

Foraminotomy for spinal foraminal stenosis will often provide full or partial relief of symptoms.

Future spine problems are possible for all patients after spine surgery. If you had spinal fusion and laminectomy, the spinal column above and below the fusion are more likely to have problems in the future. Also, if you needed more than one kind of back surgery (such as foraminotomy and spinal fusion), you may have more of a chance of future problems.

Reviewed last on: 12/20/2010
C. Benjamin Ma, MD, Assistant Professor, Chief, Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service, UCSF Dept of Orthopaedic Surgery. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Curlee PM. Other disorders of the spine. In: Canale ST, Beatty JH, eds. Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics. 11th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2007:chap 41.

Park AL. Lower back pain and disorders intervertebral discs. In: Canale ST, Beatty JH, eds. Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics. 11th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2007:chap 39.

Weinstein JN, Tosteson TD, Lurie JD,et al. Surgical versusnonoperative treatment for lumbar spinal stenosis four-year results of the Spine

Patient Outcomes Research Trial. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2010 Jun

15;35(14):1329-38.

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