Successful surgical outcomes arise from a coordinated effort between the surgeon and the patient.
If you experience spinal symptoms that require surgery, you choose a surgeon based on their ability to diagnose the problem and perform the surgical technique effectively. You trust your surgeon to make the best choices to ensure an optimal recovery.
But even when surgery is successful from a technical standpoint, there are still patient behaviors that can affect the surgery positively or negatively, such as obesity, diabetes management, smoking, nutrition, and preoperative narcotic use.
For example, challenges arising from obesity may include requiring the surgeon to make a larger incision and longer operative time. There is also a risk of increased blood loss and overall intraoperative complications. Postoperative complications arising from obesity can include surgical site infection and blood clots in the legs. Read the full article to learn about other complications.