Advice to help your recovery
Recovering from lumbar spine decompression or discectomy
This information explains how to recover in the early stages of your recovery from lumbar spine decompression, a discectomy or both:
- Lumbar decompression surgery is a type of surgery used to treat compressed nerves in the lower (lumbar) spine.
- A discectomy is surgery to remove a damaged part of a disc in the spine.
Pain management
You'll leave hospital with some pain medicine. It's important that you make a GP appointment to get a repeat prescription before you have finished this medicine supply.
Your GP gets a discharge letter from the hospital about your surgery and the medicines that we prescribed for you. You'll get a copy of this letter when you leave hospital.
It's important that you take pain medicine regularly for the first few weeks. This keeps the medicine at a constant level in your body and so improves your pain control.
After surgery, you can expect to be in some discomfort due to the type of procedure that you had. You need to take pain medicine regularly to manage your symptoms.
It's common to have some discomfort or mild pain for up to 3 months after surgery. We recommend staying as active as possible within the limits of your pain.
Pain is expected after surgery, but there some things might make your pain worse. If you can recognise these things and take steps to manage them, it might ease your pain.
- Interrupted sleep: Good sleep so you wake up feeling refreshed is important for pain management and your recovery.
- Mental health issues (such as depression and anxiety): If you have a low mood, speak to a GP about options for managing this and what local support is available.
- Stress: If you feel stressed, it's a good idea to talk to your workplace, family, and local mental health teams. You can explore what's causing your stress and how to manage this. Planning ahead can reduce stress and worry.
- Physical health: Smoking, poorly controlled diabetes, poor nutrition, and long-term illnesses can all slow down your healing and recovery.
Support and more information
You can visit these websites to get support with your mental health or more information about mental health issues:
- NHS how to cope with depression webpage: www.nhs.uk/mental-health/self-help/tips-and-support/cope-with-depression
- Mind website: www.mind.org.uk
Fatigue (tiredness)
Many people feel increasingly tired after surgery. There are several reasons for this. Not being as active, interrupted sleep, pain and pain medicine can all make you feel fired.
Here are some tips for managing fatigue:
Do
- take short naps during the day if you feel tired, provided that they do not interrupt your main sleep at night
- switch off mobile phones, tablets or other devices 1 hour before bed to help you relax if you have a history of interrupted sleep
- do regular activity and walking to increase your activity tolerance and improve your fatigue symptoms with time
More information
Research suggests that good sleep helps you to manage pain and fatigue, and makes it easier for your body to recover, after surgery.
You can visit these websites to find useful information on monitoring sleep issues:
- NHS webpage on sleep and tiredness: www.nhs.uk/live-well/sleep-and-tiredness
- Headspace website: www.headspace.com (a website and digital app designed to improve wellbeing through guided meditation, mindfulness exercises, sleep aids and focus tools)
- Sleepio website: www.sleepio.com (a 6-week programme to treat problems with sleeping that is available for free on the NHS)
Going back to work
You will need to take some time off work after surgery. How long you need depends on the type of job that you do.
As a guide, we suggest that you should arrange at least 4 weeks off work if you have a desk-based job. This will:
If you have a heavy manual job, it might take up to 3 months before you can return to full-time work.
Whatever work you do, it's a good idea to talk to your workplace about a phased (gradual) return to work. This may involve working fewer days or reduced hours at first. Some people find that this helps them to manage their fatigue when returning to work.
A phased return to work may also encourage you to return to your way of life and activity level before the surgery.
Research shows that people who return to work and usual actitivies earlier have a better long-term recovery.
Returning to driving
You can return to driving when you're confident you can do an emergency stop. You need to check with your insurance company, as some have their own guidelines. They might not meet any claims if they feel that you have driven too soon.
It's best not to drive for long periods after you have had surgery. If you plan a long drive, take regular breaks so you can get out of the car and go for a small walk to stretch your legs.
Why moving is so important
Moving is important for your overall health. It helps to keep your heart and lungs healthy, which makes it easier for you to recover.
After surgery, you might find that you get tired easily. Here are some simple tips that can help:
Do
- take regular rests
- move little and often throughout the day
- change your position often
Walking after surgery
Walking is the best activity to do regularly after surgery. It:
- promotes healthy circulation
- helps healing and recovery
- can reduce the risk of blood clots
You might find that your walking is limited in the first few weeks. This is normal.
You should be able to walk a little further each week. There are no limits on how long you should walk. It's best to listen to your body and walk as much as you can manage regularly.
Gentle exercises to keep active
There's no exact amount of activity that you should do in the early stage of your recovery. Try to pace yourself and listen to your body if you start to feel discomfort.
The discomfort should only be 4 on a scale of 1 to 10.
Sit to stand
The sit-to-stand exercise involves these steps:
- Sit down and stand up from a dining chair or your bed.
- Try not to use your arms to help you stand (but do not risk falling)
- If the exercise feels too hard, use a cushion or pillow to make the surface higher.
Do this as many times as you can comfortably manage.
Stairs
Walking up and down stairs is good exercise.
Walking
Walking inside and outside is helpful for your overall health. For the first 2 weeks, you may find that your activity level is limited. With time, however, you should be able to manage longer walks.
Pacing your daily activities
People sometimes find that when they start to do more general activities, their pain flares up and they need rest to recover. This is often caused by doing too much, too soon.
Instead, try to build up your activity levels gradually with time. Eventually, you'll be able to do more and need to rest less.
Here are some tips for pacing your daily activities:
Do
- start activities gently and progress steadily
- accept that changes in your pain level are a normal part of recovery
- try not to do too much activity
- recognise that doing too little activity is not helpful either
Doing everyday activities might be a little bit uncomfortable, but you should not let this stop you from doing them. If you avoid doing them, it can:
- make your recovery period longer
- reduce your quality of life
Try not to worry if you feel that you're not doing enough. Doing a little is better than doing nothing.
Resource number: 5541/VER1
Last reviewed: July 2026
Next review: July 2029
