When undergoing any surgical procedure, there are always risks and complications and more so when you undergo with back surgery. We know that back surgery happens to be so close with the spinal cord thus it makes it all the more very sensitive or delicate procedure. One wrong move and it can cause you a lifetime of nerve damage or worst paralysis. Thus it is important to consider carefully the complications and risk of having back surgery.
Back surgeries are often done under local anesthetic. This is much better because local anesthesia pose much lower risk than general anesthesia. Local anesthesia means the patient is awake during the operation so that the surgeon can actually ask the patient to move parts of their body during the surgery to assure the risk of paralysis and that everything is done right.
General anesthetic is not recommended since a patient is asleep during the surgery and it increases the risks of heart attack, embolism or stroke. Problems in the lung can arise. Aside from this there are various complications that may arise from back surgery and listed are some of the most common complications.
Infections. This is a risk for any surgical procedure. Any method which uses hardware or bone grafts to support a fusion is a greater risk for infection. The worst scenario is when this infection enters the spinal canal the patient can get so sick or die.
Nerve Damage. Nerves in the spinal are quite sensitive. In some cases one or more nerve can get damage in back surgery. This can affect sensation or movement and lessens the nerve signal in the affected area.
Spinal Fluid Leaks. During the surgery, it is possible that the membrane surrounding the spinal cord is ruptured. Spinal fluid will leak and if this continues and not treated there is a high risk that the patient will develop spinal meningitis.
Blood Loss. Unexpected bleeding can sometimes occur in back surgery especially if the surgery involves frontal incision which will involve lots of major blood vessels that has to be moved to reach the spine. Continues bleeding after the surgery will make the patient weak and if the blood loss goes on, a second surgery is the only option to seal the leak.
Other complications which one should not take for granted includes blood clots and spinal fusion concerns. With the risk and complications given, it would truly be worth it to think carefully whether to go on for a back surgery or not. There are always other methods that are non-surgical that might just work to cure the source of your problem and relieve you from pain. So explore all possibilities before deciding on having back surgery.