Navigating Recovery and Rehabilitation After Disc Replacement Surgery

Disc replacement surgery is growing in popularity as an alternative to traditional spinal fusion surgery.

Whether you’ve just had cervical disc replacement surgery (disc replacement surgery in the neck) or lumbar disc replacement surgery (disc replacement surgery in the back), we’re here to help you understand what you should expect during the recovery process.

While recovery from disc replacement surgery may take up to a month and a half or so depending on your health and the type of disc replacement surgery performed, the overall expected recovery period is much lower than that of spinal fusion surgery, which often involves a recovery period of 3-6 months.

With that said, here’s what to expect when recovering from artificial disc replacement surgery.

What Does Disc Replacement Surgery Involve?

Instead of fusing the vertebrae above and below the problem disc like spinal fusion does, disc replacement surgery removes the damaged disc entirely, and then replaces it with an implant. The upside of this is that disc replacement surgery preserves motion in your spine at the point of the damaged disc.

Disc Replacement Surgery Recovery Timeline & Expectations

Cervical disc replacement recovery times and lumbar disc replacement recovery times vary pretty substantially, because while cervical disc replacement surgery is an outpatient procedure, lumbar disc replacement surgery usually requires general anesthesia and a hospital stay.

Here is a rough estimate of how long a full recovery for each type of artificial disc replacement surgery usually takes. Do, however, remember, that every individual’s recovery timeline is different, so your actual recovery period could be longer or shorter than these estimates:

• Estimated Recovery Period for Cervical Disc Replacement Surgery: 2-4 weeks
• Estimated Recovery Period for Lumbar Disc Replacement Surgery: 4-6 weeks

Post-Surgery Guidelines and Restrictions

Post-surgery restrictions for artificial disc replacement surgery are minimal but important to follow for optimal recovery.

• Avoid Submerging in Water: Patients should avoid submerging in water like a bath or pool and avoid water activities until the incision is healed and you are cleared to resume from your surgeon.
• Maintain Light Activity: Gentle movements and light activities are recommended to promote healing and prevent stiffness.
• Avoid High-Intensity Activity: While light activity is good, you don’t want to engage in high-intensity sports, weight-lifting, or other involved forms of exercise or activity until you are cleared to do so from your surgeon.
• Avoid Driving if Taking Pain Medications: If you’re taking pain medication, you should avoid driving, otherwise, with your doctor’s clearance, you may be able to drive following disc replacement surgery in a few days to a week.

When to Return to Work Following Disc Replacement Surgery

As is the case when rehabilitating from other types of surgery, it’s best to increase your level of activity slowly, gradually, and under the supervision and care of your doctor when recovering from disc replacement surgery.

Therefore, regular follow-up appointments with your surgeon are extremely vital to monitor your progress and ensure optimal healing.

When it comes to returning to work, you will need clearance from your doctor, and for cervical disc replacement, that usually takes 2-4 weeks but can take 4-6 if you do have a physically demanding job. As for lumbar disc replacement, you may return in either 4-6 weeks on the low end or 8-12 weeks on the high end.

Learn More

If you have any additional questions about your recovery, we invite you to contact Dr. Baig today.

In the meantime, if you’ve not yet had disc replacement surgery and have been reading this to get a better understanding of what it entails from a recovery perspective, we encourage you to learn more about our practice here.