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Posterior & Anterior Lumbar Surgery: What is recovery like?
Spine Health | Last Active: Jul 15 10:14am | Replies (28)Comment receiving replies
The two surgeries: was one to put a cage on the anterior part of the lower spine, and the other to put connecting plates in your back for the other two vertebrae?
One of my neurosurgeons wants to do that, but I’m leery of having two surgeries to fix the problem with the possibility of infection. The other surgeon wants to do a minimally invasive approach. I’m assuming from the posterior and just using plates and screws; not a cage. I’m meeting with him in a week or so to get more details.
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@gsgnfl - For me, the lumbar work was broken up into two distinct trips to the OR but just 48 hours apart. I remained in the hospital during that 48 hour period. One surgery was disk work and cage insertion. The second surgery was installing the plates needed to stabilize those vertebrae.
As I understood the two-surgery strategy, my lumbar work was extensive enough that they didn't want me to be under general anesthesia for as long as it would take to do all the work at one time. I was unconcerned about the risks of surgical infection.
Go to the surgeon armed with all your questions written down ahead of time. Google ideas as to useful questions if that might help. I believe it's helpful for someone to accompany you to be another set of ears.
My understanding is that minimally invasive options are usually only appropriate for "smaller" spine work. My four-level fusions could not be done MI, for example.