How careful do I have to be after a microdiscectomy? | Dr. Todd Lanman

You've just had a microdiscectomy, and you will find that some physicians recommend that you be careful. Some may even caution that aggressive activity may cause you to reherniate the disc. I do not advocate "taking it easy" after this kind of surgery. Yes, we want to see the sutures heal, but after a reasonable period, I recommend my patients to be aggressive and return to all your normal activities. If that disc is going to reherniate, it'll do so whether you are careful or not. The whole idea of having these surgeries is to be greater than just "better." We want our life back the way it was. And if it turns out that the disc reherniates, then we go to the next level for artificial disc replacement.
Dr. Lanman is a board-certified neurosurgery specialist practicing medicine for 25 years with a private practice in Beverly Hills, CA. He specializes in the treatment of spinal disorders and is a leading clinical advocate for artificial disc replacement surgery. He is a professor at the University of California Los Angeles, and a member of the Cedars-Sinai Institute of Spinal Disorders.
As a leading innovator in the treatment of spinal disorders, as well as a media educator and contributor, Lanman has published more than ten peer-reviewed articles, as well as book chapters on topics relating to neurological surgery, and has presented more than two dozen papers at national and regional medical society meetings. He has been tapped by colleagues to be the principal medical investigator on a broad swath of clinical trials for motion preserving surgeries and artificial disc replacement devices, most recently the Prestige LP and M6, with the former recently receiving FDA pre-market approval in 2016 with his continuous support and advocacy.
Part of his constant advocacy for patients stems from his own experience as a patient. His unique insights helped him develop a program called "4D Health Process." The "process" helps him guide patients to think about their health more comprehensively and holistically. The process also incorporates some different factors including one’s age, daily lifestyle, nutrition, hormone status, physical exercise routine, and of course spine and joint health to paint a complete picture of one’s health from a four-dimensional perspective.
The "4D" program relies on his meticulous analysis of each patient's current physical condition, their lifestyle, and treatment goals. He uses his decades of knowledge and expertise to shift the emphasis for how we view healthy living, aging, and the treatment of spinal disorders. His unique medical treatment approach helps him map out an entire preventative and forward-thinking strategy to help his patients live an active, healthy life, with the full natural movement of their spine. His stated goal is to help patients be greater than "better."
Dr. Lanman graduated from Northwestern University School of Medicine, Chicago, IL with top honors and is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. He completed a general surgery internship and neurological surgery residency at UCLA. He is an active member of many professional societies and organizations including the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery (ISASS), North American Spine Society (NASS), and Fellow American College of Surgeons. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Neurological Surgery, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and a Fellow of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (FAANS).
CREDITS
Editing: Ray Wyman www.raywyman.com
Management: Brandi Kamenar www.brandikamenar.com/