A laminotomy requires a small portion of the lamina be removed along with the attached ligaments. A decompressive laminectomy typically takes a few hours to complete. Most patients are released from the hospital two to five days after surgery and can resume walking almost immediately. A short course of physical therapy may be prescribed to strengthen the lower back and abdominal muscles. Full recovery usually takes six weeks to six months, depending on how advanced the stenosis was at the time of surgery.
Most patients say their condition is improved as a result of surgery.
But the overall results are good, as most patients can resume their normal lifestyle. In cases where stenosis has recurred, it is usually at the next highest level of the vertebrae, not the portion that was decompressed. Years later, some patients could require a second operation, but these cases are infrequent. A. Surgical treatments for spinal stenosis are some of the most common and successful back operations performed on older patients. But it is still surgery and, as with all surgeries, involves risks.