FAQ
Since Dr. Anissipour takes a comprehensive approach to every patient in understanding your individual needs, he may not recommend surgery as the correct form of treatment. It also may not be the right time to receive surgery based on what exactly is negatively impacting you. Should you need surgery, however, scheduling is straightforward, timely, and done based on your availability versus the soonest openings available in his schedule.
To further make sure your surgery is scheduled as smoothly and efficiently as possible, Dr. Anissipour uses an artificial intelligence-based software platform.
For the most part, yes. However, if you have diabetes, hold your medications when you are fasting prior to surgery. We will do our best to schedule your surgery earlier in the day to avoid problems with your diabetes from not eating or taking your medications.
At your pre-op appointment, we will provide you with a list of medications that may increase your risk of bleeding; these medications must be stopped prior to surgery. If you are taking NSAIDs such as ibuprofen, you need to stop these medications 10 days prior to surgery. For those patients who take Warfarin (Coumadin), we will have you undergo a protocol that may involve temporarily switching you to Lovenox or the equivalent heparin medication.
Please bring your most updated medication list and any lab or test results that were done with your internal medicine consultation. Have a list of questions about the surgery to help focus our discussion and make the appointment flow more efficiently. The surgery consent will be completed at this visit.
At the end of your pre-op appointment, you will be given a prescription for your postoperative pain medications so that they can be filled prior to your hospital admission. That way they will be ready for you at home after your surgery.
We will assist you in setting up your appointment. Typically, we see patients 17-21 days after surgery. At this visit, if any non-dissolvable sutures are used, they are removed.
At this time, we are not a proponent of laser spine surgery as the current application of a laser with spine surgery is merely as a cutting device. This may change in the future as new technology is developed. But at this point, in our opinion, the use of a laser is intended more as a marketing approach to attract patients to a surgery that is not really different from traditional spine surgery.
New “minimally invasive spine surgery” approaches used by spine surgeons can now shorten the incision, lessen time in the hospital, and speed the return to activity with a less painful recovery.
The real area of concern about laser spine surgery, in our opinion, is that the ads encourage people to jump into laser spine surgery when they may not need surgery in the first place.
Usually, showers are allowed within 72 hours after surgery. If the incision is not dry or still oozing, then showers should be delayed until the site is dry. Submersion in baths, hot tubs, swimming pools, oceans, or lakes should NOT occur until cleared by Dr. Anissipour.
Depending on the surgery, a brace is recommended to protect the operative site during the healing period in the cervical spine. Most commonly, bracing for the lumbar spine is not necessary.
In addition to the brace or orthosis, a front-wheel walker and a 3-in-1 commode are the typical durable medical equipment (DME) prescribed for home use postoperatively. If needed, a hospital bed for home use may be ordered. These arrangements can be made prior to a hospitalization or at the hospital after surgery.
Outpatient physical therapy may be started only after Dr. Anissipour or his team clears you to do so. Any visiting home physical therapy should be limited to a home safety evaluation and assistance with transfers from bed to chair or bed to standing, or transfers from standing to bed or sofa, and ambulation. EXERCISES ON THE ABDOMEN, BACK, NECK, ARMS, OR LEGS SHOULD BE AVOIDED UNTIL CLEARED BY DR. ANISSIPOUR OR HIs TEAM. These more advanced exercises are usually started 3-4 weeks after surgery, depending on the procedure.
Your return-to-work date depends on the type of procedure performed and the nature of your work. The timeframe may range from 2 weeks to 2 months, depending on the physical demands of your job. Generally, it is wise to resume work on a part-time basis such as 20 hours per week for 2-3 weeks, then advance to 30 hours per week for 2-3 weeks, then a full 40 hours per week. This gradual advancement allows your body to readjust to the demands of regular work duty.