[Postoperative treatment phases following the Cloward operation]

In this article, the experience gained in the postoperative treatment and care after ventral vertebral fusion (operation after Cloward) are presented. After a radicular or medullary decompression has been achieved by the surgical intervention, an individually adapted, symptom-centered physiotherapeutic exercise programme, a continuous observation of the neurological findings with roentgenological checking of the bony blocking process is carried out. The postoperatively established camp cravat is worn up to the roentgenologically verified incorporation of the dowel.