Patient Care-After Surgery

AFTER SPINE SURGERY:

If you were given a collar or brace, wear it when out of bed.

Rest and relax; allow others to help with your daily needs.

Take pain medicine as needed, according to the instructions.

If your pain is not well controlled, call the office.

Do not drive until you have the doctor’s permission, and minimize riding in the car.

Avoid heavy or repetitive bending, stooping, lifting, or overhead work.

Do not exercise other than walking. Walking is good for you.

If your incision is covered with Steri-Strips (thin reinforced “strapping” tape), you should leave these in place for approximately 7 days. You may shower as instructed, but try to keep the area dry. Do not soak or swim. You may trim the Steri-Strips’ edges as they peel up at the ends, or pull them off. When the Steri-Strips are used, the skin stitches are under the skin and will dissolve on their own. No suture removal is required.

If you have nylon stitches on the skin, or metal staples closing your incision, you need to return to the office in 7-10 days to have them removed. Keep your incision clean and dry until given permission to shower. Do not take a bath or swim until several days after the sutures have been removed or after your first visit to the office after surgery.

AFTER BRAIN SURGERY

Rest and relax; allow others to help with your daily needs.

Take medicine exactly as instructed. Some should be taken on a schedule for a certain number of days.

Some medicine instructions say, “as needed.” You can take these if they are helpful to you, or stop them at any time.

Keep your stitches or staples clean and dry. Do not wash your head for one day after they are removed.

Walking is good for your health as you recover. If you are able, begin with a 5-minute walk three times a day, and increase the distance as you regain your strength.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR:

Fever higher than 101 degrees, increasing redness at the incision, new and increasing drainage, worsening pain at the incision, or opening of the incision.

If you experience these, please call to let us know.
Hoarseness can be normal after surgery, but difficulty breathing or swallowing require immediate attention.

RETURN TO THE OFFICE:

Call the office when you return home and make an appointment for a post-operative office visit. If you have staples or nylon stitches on the skin, return in 7-10 days. If you have Steri-Strips, return in 2 weeks. If you had neck surgery, you may need a neck x-ray before your appointment. If so, the office can arrange for it. Call sooner if you have a problem or any questions.