Patients are often understandably worried about any pain following their spine surgery. Post-op pain comes in many forms (some normal, some not so normal). A burning feeling is one such pain that can crop up after a minimally invasive procedure. In this blog we are going to talk about burning sensations after spine surgery – what’s normal and what is cause for concern.

What Causes a Burning Sensation?

The first thing we need to discuss is what exactly causes a burning feeling after spinal surgery. Every surgical procedure comes with some residual post-operative pain. After all, surgery requires your body to be cut open. These incisions, no matter how small, need time to heal, and will cause pain. A burning sensation after spine surgery can be the direct result of these muscles and ligaments repairing themselves during the healing process. This is quite normal and should not be cause for alarm.

Burning sensations can also be the result of nerve issues in the spine. In many minimally invasive spine surgeries, the spinal nerves are agitated. As they regenerate after the procedure, they can cause sensations of burning, tingling, and numbness. These sensations should dissipate over the days and weeks following your procedure.

When to be Concerned

In most cases, a burning sensation in the back following surgery is nothing to be concerned about. It is likely just a side effect of the body healing itself. However, if the burning increases significantly or fails to go away after many weeks or months, there may be something else going on. If this is the case, contact your surgeon to make sure everything is all right. Always communicate clearly with your surgeon about the pain you are feeling. If you don’t say anything and simply deal with the pain, there is nothing your surgeon can do for you.

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