Dr. Stefano Sinicropi, M.D.

If you need to undergo a spinal procedure, you probably expect to experience some discomfort and even some pain during the healing process. Pain is a necessary reality during your post-op recovery period, but why does it develop, and when does it suggest you should reach back out to your doctor? In today’s blog, we take a closer look at what’s normal and what’s not when it comes to pain after spine surgery.

Why Does Pain Develop After Spine Surgery?

Surgery is a physically traumatic experience for your body, and you’ll notice this in the form of pain once your anesthesia and pain meds wear off. But let’s take a closer look at why pain is a necessary aspect of life following spine surgery.

• Muscle Cutting – Oftentimes muscle tissue needs to be moved or cut in order for the spine surgeon to have access to the area that needs to be addressed. This artificial tissue tearing will be a source of pain as these tissues try to heal in the weeks that follow your operation.
• Inflammation – Inflammation and swelling are a natural response to trauma as your body works to protect an area from additional injury and send fluids to the wound site to aid in tissue recovery. This inflammation can lead to the compression of muscles and nerves, in turn causing pain when the structure is irritated.
• Scar Tissue Formation – Your body produces what’s known as scar tissue to close the wound site after a surgical procedure. Scar tissue is a little different than normal skin, and it’s typically a bit thicker or stiffer. If this scar tissue envelops nerves or irritates nearby muscles, you can experience pain or discomfort during the healing process. Depending on the location of your incision, your doctor may give you some specific advice for breaking up large scar tissue formations to reduce their likelihood of irritating nearby structures.
• Infection – It’s also possible that your post-op pain is due to the presence of an infection. Surgeons and their care teams work incredibly hard to reduce the likelihood that bacteria will enter the wound site and cause an infection, but it’s impossible to get this risk to zero. Following your doctor’s post-op wound care instructions can help to reduce your likelihood of an infection, but they are a reality for a small subset of patients. Pain, redness, discolored discharge and warmth at the incision site are all telltale signs of an infection.

Some pain is normal following a surgical procedure as your body works overtime to heal from the physical trauma of the surgery, but that doesn’t mean pain is always normal. If you believe that you’re dealing with an infection, or if your pain seems to get worse instead of getting better as you get further along in your recovery, talk to your surgeon. Worsening pain and discomfort may be suggesting that something is amiss with your recovery, and the sooner you have a doctor take a look, the easier it will be to get you back on the road to recovery.

Minnesota Spine Surgeon

We’ll help you find ways to manage and alleviate pain after your surgical procedure, but expect some discomfort in the days and weeks that follow your operation. Just remember that it is temporary, and if you put in effort during your recovery period, there’s a good chance that you’ll have much less discomfort and much more function in your spine once you’ve progressed through your rehab. For more information about post-op pain and related back issues, reach out to Dr. Sinicropi and the team at Midwest Spine & Brain Institute today at (651) 430-3800.

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