Expected recovery time after direct visualized rhizotomy surgery

• January 11, 2020

One of the most intimidating factors about back pain surgery is the long recovery time. Many surgeries take hours to complete and even more time for recovery in the hospital. And, it’s not over when you go home. Recovering while at home can take months and requires multiple visits to physical therapy clinics.

All of this is worth it if it means living without back pain, but wouldn’t it be better if there was a more efficient option? Fortunately, for many patients, there is. It’s called direct visualized rhizotomy.

What is direct visualized rhizotomy?

Direct visualized rhizotomy is an ultra-minimally invasive surgery that treats conditions that affect the joints in your spine. Surgeons most commonly use direct visualized rhizotomy to treat osteoarthritis, which causes painful joints in the back.

Direct visualized rhizotomy can help relieve this pain by severing the nerve branches in the swollen facet joints affected by osteoarthritis. Severing this nerve branch leaves the joint and bones intact, so people who undergo the procedure retain their range of motion afterward.

Direct visualized rhizotomy procedures are quick. They usually take about 30 minutes, and the recovery doesn’t take much longer.

How long does it take to recover from direct visual rhizotomy surgery?

All patients are different, so recovery times from direct visualized rhizotomy can vary. That being said, most of the people who undergo direct visual rhizotomy at Phoenix Spine & Joint are able to walk within an hour after the surgery. Many of them even return to work the next day.

People can recover from direct visualized rhizotomy quickly because the procedure is ultra-minimally invasive and is very effective at reducing pain. No muscles or soft tissues are cut during the procedure. Your surgeon will only make a small incision near the swollen facet joint for inserting an endoscopic tube. This tube is only 3 1/2 millimeters wide, so the incision does not need to be much wider than a paperclip.

After your direct visualized rhizotomy procedure, your doctor will give you instructions for recovery. Some people may take a little longer to recover than others, and this is okay. Whether it takes a couple hours or a couple days, recovering from direct visual rhizotomy is much better than recovering from other procedures that take weeks to months.

Contact Phoenix Spine & Joint for direct visualized rhizotomy surgery

Our doctors at Phoenix Spine & Joint can examine the condition of your spine to determine if you’re a good candidate for direct visualized rhizotomy. Contact our team today if you’d like to speak to one of our care coordinators about direct visualized rhizotomy or schedule a free second opinion to discover if the procedure is right for you.