The majority of adults in Minnesota drive every day, so it’s reasonable to wonder when you’ll be able to get back behind the wheel if you’re scheduled to undergo spine surgery. As you might have guessed, there is no specific answer that applies to every type of spine surgery, but there are some factors that can help predict when it will be safe for you to drive again after surgery. We explore those factors and more in today’s blog.
Driving After Spine Surgery
For most spinal procedures, it is recommended that you have a friend or family member drive you home after you’ve been discharged from the surgery center. This is to ensure discomfort or general anesthesia doesn’t cause problems behind the wheel. From there, it’s typically a case-by-base basis as to when you can drive again after surgery, but some factors to consider include:
- Neck Range of Motion – If you had surgery to address an issue in your cervical spine, it is important that you can safely move your neck side to side before getting back behind the wheel. Driving requires you to be able to turn your neck in both directions, and if you can’t do that because of post-op pain, you’ll be putting yourself and other drivers in danger. Also, you’ll want to be sure that those neck movements are safe for you. You don’t want to cause your surgery to fail because you stressed the area too much while driving too soon after surgery.
- Lumbar Spine Stress – Driving is more stressful on your lumbar spine that you might imagine. Even when we have proper posture, much of the stress of sitting is channeled through our lumbar spine. This can make long drives uncomfortable even if you haven’t just undergone an operation. You’ll want to ensure your lumbar spine is healthy enough to handle sitting in the car for extended periods before you get behind the wheel.
- Prescription Medications – Depending on your operation, there’s a chance that you will be prescribed strong medications to help with post-op discomfort. Many of these medications say you should not drive a car while you’re taking the medication, and you should always see how the medication affects you before you decide to drive. Not only can you cause an accident, but you can end up with a DUI even if you’re driving with a prescribed medication in your system if it negatively affects your ability to drive.
- Pain – The final factor that helps to determine if you are ready to get back behind the wheel is pain. If you can tolerate the movements that are required for driving and can handle the discomfort that comes with sitting in that same position for an extended period, you should be able to get back to driving. People will experience different levels of pain for the same procedure, and everyone has a different pain threshold, so this factor is unique to the individual. But if you believe your pain has decreased to the point that you can safely drive, you should be able to get back behind the wheel.
Some patients can drive within a few days of surgery, while others will need months of rehab before they can get back behind the wheel. Your surgeon can provide you with a more detailed timeline based on your specific needs. For more information, or to talk to a specialist about your back pain, reach out to Dr. Sinicropi’s office today.
