Discrepancies in recommendations for return to regular activities after cervical spine surgery: A survey study

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Orthopedic Surgery
• Spine Surgery

Background:

• Physician recommendations for returning to activities post-cervical spine surgery lack standardized guidelines.
• Variability in recommendations stems from differing physician training and personal opinions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze spine surgeons' recommendations for return-to-activity timing after various cervical spine procedures.
• To identify potential correlations between surgeon experience and activity return recommendations.

Main Methods:

• A survey was distributed to 91 spine surgeons regarding return-to-activity timelines.
• Surgeons reported recommended times for activities (e.g., showering, driving, work) after ACDF, CDR, PCDF, and laminoplasty.
• Recommendations were compared based on surgeons' years in practice.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in return-to-activity timing were found for ACDF and PCDF based on surgeon experience.
• For cervical disc replacement (CDR), surgeons with 10-15 years of experience recommended a 3-month return to non-sedentary work, differing from other groups (6 weeks).
• Laminoplasty showed the most variability, with highly experienced surgeons (>15 years) recommending earlier returns to certain activities compared to less experienced groups.

Conclusions:

• Significant variability exists in surgeon recommendations for returning to daily activities after cervical spine surgery.
• Experience level appears to influence recommendations for specific procedures like laminoplasty and CDR.