Laminectomy Side Effects and Warnings

Possible Complications

Complications are rare, but no procedure is completely free of risk. If you are planning to have a laminectomy, your doctor will review a list of possible complications, which may include:

• Infection
• Bleeding
• Blood clots
• Damage to nerves, resulting in pain, numbness, tingling, or paralysis
• Problems related to anesthesia

Factors that may increase the risk of complications include:

• Another medical condition, particularly heart or lung problems
• Obesity
• Advanced age
• Smoking

Be sure to discuss these risks with your doctor before surgery.

Call Your Doctor

After you leave the hospital, contact your doctor if any of the following occurs:

• Signs of infection, including fever and chills
• Redness, swelling, increasing pain, excessive bleeding, or any discharge from the incision site
• Nausea and/or vomiting that you cannot control with the medicines you were given after surgery, or which persist for more than two days after discharge from the hospital
• Pain that you cannot control with the medicines you have been given
• Cough, shortness of breath, chest pain
• Trouble urinating or having a bowel movement
• New numbness or weakness in the hips, groin or legs
• Joint pain, fatigue, stiffness, rash or other new symptoms

In case of an emergency, call 911.