Managing Pain from Spinal Disorders or Surgery

Managing pain is an important part of your treatment and recovery from a spinal disorder or spinal surgery. Because our spines involve nerves, bones, muscles, ligaments and tendons, anything that affects one may affect the other.

Pain can cause sleeplessness, depression and limitations on your ability to move - all of which can slow down your recovery.

It is important to manage your pain before it becomes too intense. Be sure to tell your doctor when you have pain and discuss ways to deal the pain. For most people, back pain tends to get better within two weeks to three months. However, the sooner you treat pain, the less likely it is to get worse or cause other complications.

Back pain can be:

  • Acute, lasting up to three months. It usually gets better after four to six weeks of home treatment. This type of pain is usually the result of an injury or a disorder such as arthritis. It can range from a muscle ache to shooting or stabbing pain. Sometimes it limits your ability to move or stand up straight.
  • Recurrent, a repeat episode of acute symptoms. Most people have at least one episode of recurrent low back pain.
  • Chronic, lasting longer than three months. This type of pain often gets worse over time. Its cause can be difficult to identify.

Call your doctor if:

  • Your pain is interfering with your usual daily activities
  • You can't sleep because of pain
  • Your spinal disorder or condition has healed, but pain is still there

At the Cedars-Sinai Institute for Spinal Disorders, a wide range of approaches to managing pain from spinal disorders or surgery are available, including:

Additional Resources at Cedars-Sinai