While the actual spinal operation plays a pivotal role in your quest to fully recover from a back injury, so too does your rehabilitation in the days and weeks that follow. Your surgeon will explain what you need to do to keep your rehab on track, but hopefully, they’ll also touch on some red flags that could suggest there is an issue with your recovery. Below, we share some of those red flags that suggest you should reach back out to your spine surgeon after an operation.
Signs Of An Infection
The most important thing you’ll want to watch for during your rehabilitation after surgery is the presence of a possible infection. An infection can compromise the integrity of your operation and lead to a secondary surgery, so stopping it before it becomes a problem is a must. Signs that suggest you may be dealing with an infection at the surgical site include:
- Redness
- Heat
- Discolored discharge
- Foul smell
- Pain at the wound site
Aside from those symptoms at the surgical site, other symptoms that could indicate an infection include nausea, the chills, vomiting or a fever. If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, talk to your surgeon about getting on an antibiotic.
Increasing Pain
Now, increasing pain isn’t always a sign of a problem, so you’ll want to understand what type of pain you’re looking for. As you get further away from your surgical procedure, odds are you’re going to be weaning off painkillers, which means pain may be more noticeable. However, if pain gets significantly worse as you take smaller doses of medications, or pain becomes so uncomfortable that you can’t move, consider reaching back out to your doctor to see if they have an updated course of action.
Difficulty Breathing
Inhibited breathing could be a sign that there is an underlying issue at play. It could be caused by being sedentary after receiving anesthesia, or it could be a sign of an infection or blood clot. If you’re coughing a lot or having shortness of breath, contact your spine surgeon right away.
Numbness Or Loss Of Sensation
Finally, if you are experiencing numbness or a loss of sensation in your extremities, call your spine surgeon. It could just be caused by your pain medications, but there’s also the possibility that the operation resulted in the impingement of crucial spinal nerves that are now being impeded. Give your surgeon a call if you lose sensation in part of your body during your recovery.
These red flags rarely develop, but when they do, they are best treated right away, which is why it’s so important to know them and contact your surgeon at the first sign of an issue. For more information or for help with your back problem, reach out to Dr. Sinicropi and his experienced team today.
