What is bone spur repair?

A bone spur repair is surgery to remove a bone spur, a bony growth that forms on normal bone. Your doctor will make one or more small cuts near the bone spur. These cuts are called incisions. Then the doctor will use small tools to remove the piece of bone. You may have arthroscopic surgery. It is done using a few small incisions and a lighted viewing tube called an arthroscope. Or the doctor may make one larger incision. This is called open surgery.

After surgery, you may have less pain. If your bone spur is in a joint, the joint may move more easily. Removing a bone spur may also help prevent future problems.

You will probably go home on the day of surgery or the next day. It depends on your general health and on what kind of surgery you had. The time it takes to go back to work or your normal routine depends on the type of surgery you had, the type of work you do, and how active you are.

Surgery can be stressful. This information will help you understand what you can expect. And it will help you safely prepare for surgery.

Preparing for surgery

• You may need to shower or bathe with a special soap the night before and the morning of your surgery. The soap contains chlorhexidine. It reduces the amount of bacteria on your skin that could cause an infection after surgery.
• Be sure you have someone to take you home. Anesthesia and pain medicine will make it unsafe for you to drive or get home on your own.
• Understand exactly what surgery is planned, along with the risks, benefits, and other options.
• If you take a medicine that prevents blood clots, your doctor may tell you to stop taking it before your surgery. Or your doctor may tell you to keep taking it. (These medicines include aspirin and other blood thinners.) Make sure that you understand exactly what your doctor wants you to do.
• Tell your doctor ALL the medicines, vitamins, supplements, and herbal remedies you take. Some may increase the risk of problems during your surgery. Your doctor will tell you if you should stop taking any of them before the surgery and how soon to do it.
• Make sure your doctor and the hospital have a copy of your advance directive. If you don’t have one, you may want to prepare one. It lets others know your health care wishes. It’s a good thing to have before any type of surgery or procedure.

Activity

• Rest when you feel tired. Getting enough sleep will help you recover.
• Stay active. Talk to your doctor about what you can do and about any limits on your normal routine.
• Depending where on your body you had your bone spur surgery, you may need to use a sling, a brace, or crutches. Follow your doctor's directions for using them.
• The amount of time off you will need depends on the area and extent of your surgery and the type of work you do. If you have a desk job, you may be able to return to work or your normal routine in a few days. If you lift heavy objects, or do other labor, it may be several weeks or longer before you can return to work.
• Ask your doctor when you can take a shower. You may wash the incisions with regular soap and water.
• Ask your doctor when you can drive again.

Diet

• You can eat your normal diet. If your stomach is upset, try bland, low-fat foods like plain rice, broiled chicken, toast, and yogurt.
• You may notice that your bowel movements are not regular right after your surgery. This is common. Try to avoid constipation and straining with bowel movements. Take a fiber supplement every day. If you have not had a bowel movement after a couple of days, ask your doctor about taking a mild laxative.

Medicines

• Your doctor will tell you if and when you can restart your medicines. The doctor will also give you instructions about taking any new medicines.
• If you stopped taking aspirin or some other blood thinner, your doctor will tell you when to start taking it again.
• Be safe with medicines. Take pain medicines exactly as directed.
  • If the doctor gave you a prescription medicine for pain, take it as prescribed.
  • If you are not taking a prescription pain medicine, ask your doctor if you can take an over-the-counter medicine.
• If you think your pain medicine is making you sick to your stomach:
  • Take your medicine after meals (unless your doctor has told you not to).
  • Ask your doctor for a different pain medicine.
• If your doctor prescribed antibiotics, take them as directed. Do not stop taking them just because you feel better. You need to take the full course of antibiotics.

Incision care

• If you have dressings over the cuts the doctor made (incisions), keep them clean and dry. You may remove them when your doctor tells you to.
• If your incisions are open to the air, keep the area clean and dry.
• If you have strips of tape on the incisions the doctor made, leave the tape on for a week or until it falls off, unless your doctor gave you other instructions.

Ice

• Put ice or a cold pack on your incisions for 10 to 20 minutes at a time. Try to do this every 1 to 2 hours for the next 3 days (when you are awake) or until the swelling goes down. Put a thin cloth between the ice and your skin.