Postoperative Management Following Degenerative Lumbar Spine Surgery: Results From a Survey Conducted by the French Society of Spine Surgery and Literature Review - 26/11/25
, Mourad Ould-Slimane a , Marc Szadkowski b , Henri-Arthur Leroy c , Jérôme Delambre d , Thais Dutra Vieira b, ⁎ , François Lucas e , Xavier Castel b , Martin Dupuy f , Henri d’Astorg b the French Spine Society (SFCR)
Highlights |
• | Wide variability exists in postoperative care after lumbar spine surgery in France. |
• | Survey of 239 spine surgeons revealed differences in imaging and immobilization practices. |
• | Most surgeons (94.8%) recommend at least 3 months before returning to sports activities. |
• | Physiotherapy commonly starts after the first follow-up visit in over 80% of cases. |
• | Findings may guide future consensus and standardize postoperative management. |
Abstract |
Background |
Postoperative instructions influence lumbar surgery outcomes, but lack of consensus and differing expertise lead to varied practices.
Methods |
An online, practice-based questionnaire was distributed in 2021 to all members of the (blinded for review). This survey investigated postoperative care following degenerative lumbar surgery, focusing on follow-up procedures, postoperative imaging practices, recommendations for immobilization and timelines for returning to work and sports activities.
Results |
The survey involved 239 surgeons, with neurosurgeons (66%) and orthopaedic surgeons (34%), achieving a response rate of 68.2%. The diversity of opinions varies by item. Notably, routine postoperative imaging was not advocated in 62.7% of non-instrumented procedures. In contrast, it was recommended in 91.9% of cases after instrumented surgeries. Less than 16% of surgeons preconized a postoperative immobilization. Physiotherapy was generally recommended after the first follow-up visit by more than 80% of surgeons. Recommendations for return to work varied, with 62.7% suggesting a 6-week medical leave for non-instrumented surgery and 61.9% recommending over 2 months for instrumented procedures. Most surgeons (94.8%) advised avoiding sports for at least three months post-surgery. Differences between orthopaedic and neurosurgeons were noted, particularly regarding immobilization practices (p < 0.0001) and postoperative imaging for non-instrumented surgeries (p < 0.0001).
Conclusion |
A variety of postoperative care practices for lumbar spine surgery exists in France. This mainly relates to recommendations for imaging and return to work following non-instrumented surgery. Finally, there were few differences between the practices of neurosurgeons and orthopaedic surgeons, aligning with contemporary literature on the subject.
Le texte complet de cet article est disponible en PDF.Keywords : Degenerative lumbar spine, Postoperative management, Bracing, Imaging, Return to work, Return to sports
Plan
Vol 72 - N° 1
Article 101751- janvier 2026 Retour au numéro
Article précédent
- Relationship Among Preoperative and Intraoperative Contralateral Analysis along the Perivascular Space Indexes and Postoperative Mini-Mental State Examination Scores in Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma
- Ryohei Ono, Shunichiro Miki, Alexander Zaboronok, Eiichi Ishikawa
- Understanding non-inferiority trials: Lessons from trials comparing thrombectomy with or without intravenous thrombolysis
- William Boisseau, Tim E. Darsaut, Jean Raymond
Bienvenue sur EM-consulte, la référence des professionnels de santé.
L’accès au texte intégral de cet article nécessite un abonnement.
Déjà abonné à cette revue ?