Common Complications of Spine Surgery

Dr. Shim discusses the common complications of spine surgery and why you may still be in pain even after spinal surgery.

Citations:

Lebude, B., Yadla, S., Albert, T., Anderson, D. G., Harrop, J. S., Hilibrand, A., ... & Ratliff, J. K. (2010). Defining “complications” in spine surgery: neurosurgery and orthopedic spine surgeons' survey. Clinical Spine Surgery, 23(8), 493-500.
doi: 10.1097/BSD.0b013e3181c11f89

Zeidman, S. M., Ducker, T. B., & Raycroft, J. (1997). Trends and complications in cervical spine surgery: 1989-1993. Journal of spinal disorders, 10(6), 523-526.
PMID: 9438819

[Screwsandrods]

Excellent advice ty, I just experienced CSL and Staff infection from hospital after 360 cervical multi level infusion with Discectomy.
I am currently on two very strong antibiotics one which requires a PICC line that I have now for IV fusion 3x a day.
This experience has been hell and I had reputable neurosurgeon yet his PA missed the signs on the wound upon first wound check. I didn’t feel well at all the headaches and fatigue were the signs until one day a week after seeing the PA I awoke to a pillow filled with spinal fluid and I was rushed back to surgery and Wound Debridement and it’s been a fight for my life.

It’s important to weigh the risks, my Dr had not done that and the PA was at fault as well.
Please communicate with your surgeon and thank you again for the informative video!

[MBKMBK-iwuk]

The only man that speak the truth about spine. God bless you sir

[johnmitchell]

Another excellent video unfortunately its two late for me after 2 fusions but it's always good to keep learning about this hellish disability

[XxflamingarrowxX]

Had a discectomy in march, this is june and ive been having regressing symptoms since april-may, currently dealing with WCB as it is a work injury and have been getting shafted since day one. Finally had my surgery 8 months after my injury occured and now im back at square one but with additional pain in my spine due to the surgery.

Scary to think i have to get a fusion or possibly more surgery whatsoever as i am only 31 years old.

[Afrocanuk]

@ 1:13 - In many cases a patient knew what progressively led to the first disc herniation. Corrective measures was taken. They were fine for some years, then the herniation occurs again. This is because as time went by, they lost track of what was learnt, then got right back into the same habits that led to the problem years ago.

[pattyherpel]

Thank you. This video was most helpful.

[QuotesRiddlesFacts]

Thank you so much for this information. Questions: what is a good time period before I go back to the gym?

[jdhodge]

I had to have a couple surgeries because my first surgeon denied anything was wrong. The second surgeon told me and my son my life was in danger from the faulty surgery and we need to get you in ASAP to remove it and fix the damage vertebrae around it then after that, we have to go into the back and remove the loose hardware from the initial surgerybecause of the screws being loose and the spacer moving around between your vertebrae

[speedoflitexspeedoflite]

Sad, he didn't mention Cauda Equina Syndrome (CES); Pudendal nerve damage, in patients (like me) who suffer bowel, bladder, sexual dysfunction after recent discectomy. Numbness, tingling in groin and saddle area are signs of nerve compression/entrapment. Needs urgent dx (MRI), treatment, etc.

[ag]

What is a way for a good surgeon to avoid post- laminectomy syndrome? I am facing a multilevel cervical laminectomy for stenosis and am worried. I have heard of too many people needing repeat surgeries.

[nikkipage]

Wow. This really just makes you want to run to the surgery...NOT! I will continue diet and exercise. Once they change you, you can never go back. My biggest influence are those online who say DON'T DO IT! But thanks for being honest.

[equinoxeparabellum]

Brilliant and extremely informative. Scary stuff but worth noting. I have avoided surgery to date, just. I am trying to self heal. Exercises, physiotherapy, rest and vitamins.

[Jordan-lnef]

It's one big ongoing surgery festival with you people.

[rotex]

In my first lumbar surgery, the lamina and spinous process was removed at 3 level, no fusion was done. Pain became unbearable, along with nerve problems and intermittent paralysis. Intrathical pain pump installed to help handle the pain. 20 year latter because of the instability and another injury, another surgery was required. L-2 thr S-1 a ALIF/ PLIF, disc removed and replaced with spacers. I am now walking but in chronic pain with neuropathy.

[CrankyPantss]

I had a surgery where they did laminectomies on T7, T8, T9, and T10. The doctor didn't notice that he cut the dura. Afterwards, my incision was leaking so much that we kept taping maxi pads to my back to protect the furniture. I kept asking if it could be a CSF leak, but since I didn’t get that specific headache, they always ruled out a spinal fluid leak. I did immediately lose my sense of taste, (it wasn't gone, but everything had the same, horrible taste. Coffee, cola, water, pizza, peanut butter, apples, chicken, absolutely everything tasted the same horrible taste), and was very dizzy all of the time. At one of my post-op appointments, the doctor, a neurosurgeon, just sewed the incision up tighter to stop the leak. The CSF was still leaking, it just couldn’t come out now. It had created a cyst that was building up so much that I was growing a very visible huge hump on my back. It was so big that my neighbor across the street, a nurse, could see it and came over to see why I was growing a big hump.

At one point, the doctor happened to go on vacation, so I was stuck with his nurses. One wanted to drain the hump, but when I came back for that procedure, she found out she couldn’t do that. The other told me to put a heating pad on it to help my body absorb the fluid, even though the doctor had told me not to use heating pads for a while. That heating pad is what did me in. I tried it, but a couple of days later, I woke up on the floor and found that I had been laying there, on my back, unconscious for 5 hours. My family had been calling me and had finally decided something was wrong and was about to come home when I finally woke up and could reach the phone. I had whacked my head really hard, but could finally crawl to my phone to answer it. My family called the doctor, who was just back from his cruise, he sent me for a CT scan and sure enough, there was a big CSF leak, too big to heal on its own. He had to completely open the incision back up and look for the leak, then repair it. That whole drama took about a month from the initial surgery for them to finally accept that it was a leak and then repair it.

The reason I’m going on about it here is to let you know that the unique tell-tale CSF leak headache that they look for doesn’t always have to happen. After he finally fixed the leak, my regular sense of taste came back and I stopped getting that dizziness.

[jasonshamoon]

Thank you for the videos. I had a large protrusion of l5 s1 a year ago. Horrible leg and back pain. Had discectomy/laminectomy 6 months ago. Never got relief. Disc is ruptured. Just curious what the inflammatory reaction would be because my spine up to my low thoracic is swelled up and still? Curious if inflammation can effect other areas of the back besides the low back? If I lay on my stomach I can feel my back just want to stick out sometimes.

[Victor-qsgb]

Dr. Shim I'm going to have to have a CDF surgery how do I find out how a surgeon is rated

[johnmitchell]

It's been a year since I left a post as soon as I get on my big PC I'll update my original post.looks like lots of new comments and people with questions that most aren't gonna want to hear the answers

[whiplash]

Having neck surgery on March 18th
You tubing the b4 an after
Thx for watching
Fusion of c3 through t2

[guripawar]

Another informative video. A bit scary but educational.
Dear Doctor Shim,
I have started Planking exercises as advised by you for my bulging and herniated discs and I have gained strength and cofidence. Kindly tell me how long can someone sit or stand continuously at a single place?
Regards and thanks
I am from Punjab State, India