Only a handful of patients require surgery (<10% cases). Rest gets cured with physiotherapy, medications, spinal injection procedures.
In most cases (>90%) patients are made to walk in the evening or next day. When discharged, walking inside home premises/ compound’s along with stair climbing and regular exercises is highly recommended.
A fact that you have to understand is Spinal cord ends at L1. So in lumbar spine surgery the chances of getting paralysed is virtually nil. When you undergo surgery on Cervical and Dorsal spine (at Cord level) a specialised equipment called intra-operative neuro-monitoring is used which give signals regarding the status of your nerves during surgery so the surgeon gets a proper feedback all throughout. Statistically speaking in modern era with sophisticated instruments and technology the chances of getting paralysed after cord level surgery is extremely less. If at all some neurological deterioration occurs, they tend to recover in the next one year with physiotherapy.
The results are very predictable with excellent results which yields a better quality of life in future.
Every one of us knows that there are a lot of ways to bell a cat. There are some spinal pathologies which can be very well dealt with minimally invasive procedures. Again there are some which are time tested and yield excellent long term results with open procedures. It’s best to have a discussion with your concerned doctor and chalk out a tailored treatment plan which suits you the best. Ultimately the results matter.
In present day world mobility is independence. Extensive brace wear takes away the mobility and invites stiffness. Disuse of muscles causes muscle weakness and osteoporosis. In very few cases we advise braces but for most of the patients braces are not required as contrary to the popular belief.
If surgery is the last option for your spinal pathology to make you mobile then you should always opt for it after proper anaesthesia fitness assessment. Because getting bed ridden due to pain in this stage of your live invites a hell lot of other issues. But a simple surgery when indicated will restore mobility and boost up your remaining life to live king/ queen size.
Obviously you need to take care of your bone health. After 50 in females and 60 in males you need to consult your doc and check your BMD status and get treated yourself for osteoporosis accordingly.