Board Certified Neurosurgeon Brain & Spine Care 860-889-9035
Mark Hornyak, MDBoard Certified Neurosurgeon

Patient Education

Recovery Timeline Visualizer

Explore general recovery milestones after common neurosurgical procedures.

Educational only Recovery varies. Your surgeon's instructions override general guidance.
Cervical ACDF A general recovery timeline for anterior cervical discectomy and fusion. Cervical Cervical disc replacement A general recovery timeline for cervical artificial disc replacement. Lumbar Lumbar disc replacement A general recovery timeline for lumbar total disc replacement. Lumbar Lumbar fusion A general recovery timeline for lumbar fusion. Lumbar Microdiscectomy A general recovery timeline for lumbar microdiscectomy. Lumbar Lumbar laminectomy A general recovery timeline for lumbar laminectomy. Pelvis SI joint fusion A general recovery timeline for sacroiliac joint fusion. TODO: manual citation review. Cranial Craniotomy A general recovery timeline after craniotomy. Instructions vary widely by diagnosis and operation. Peripheral nerve Carpal tunnel release A general recovery timeline for carpal tunnel release. TODO: manual citation review. Peripheral nerve Ulnar nerve decompression A general recovery timeline for ulnar nerve decompression. TODO: manual citation review.

Recovery Curve

Typical pattern

Activity Questions

General guidance
Select a question to view general guidance for this stage.

What's Normal?

Symptom guidance
This is general educational information only. If you are unsure, worsening, or concerned, contact your surgeon's office. For emergencies, call 911.
Sources / Evidence
Five-Year Follow-Up of a Prospective, Randomized Trial Comparing Two Lumbar Total Disc Replacements Richard D Guyer; Kenneth Pettine; Jeffrey S Roh; Thomas A Dimmig; Domagoj Coric; Paul C McAfee; Donna D Ohnmeiss. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2016 DOI: 10.1097/BRS.0000000000001168 PubMed

Supports lumbar total disc replacement as a studied motion-preserving procedure; attached only to lumbar disc replacement starter timelines.

Important

This is general educational information only. If you are unsure, worsening, or concerned, contact your surgeon's office. For emergencies, call 911.