Home › Patient Info › Operations procedures › Discectomy › Discectomy - Recovery
Discectomy - Recovery
Introduction
Getting over a discectomy takes time, and everyone is different. The standard recovery is said to be six weeks. Overall it seems that it takes four weeks to get back to near normal. Return to work is usually after four to six weeks for sedentary workers and six to eight weeks for manual workers.
Symptoms
It is usual to get back and leg pain during the recovery period, and some mild pain may occur occasionally for up to twelve months. Restrictions
You should avoid prolonged sitting or excessive physical exertion for the first three weeks. This does not mean that you cannot do anything. It does mean that you should not overdo anything, especially in the first week. Instead, you should gradually increase your physical activities over this period.
A Patient's Perspective
Perhaps the best explanation of the recovery period can come from a patient. You can read about the experiences of actual patients by clicking below.