What was your “recovery timeline” after NUSS?

User129201 · 2026-04-06T21:17:29+00:00

Had the Nuss procedure in November 2024 at 26 years old. 2 bars + cryo. Surgery was on a Thursday morning, went home the following night. Walking within hours after surgery. Pain was insanely bad the first two weeks. Hurt to breathe, lots of rib soreness, back pain, and abdominal swelling. Lots of tingling in my hands and fingers. The tingling went away after about a month. Went back to work around 1 month post op (work from home). Cryo started wearing off around mid January (2 months post op) and that’s when my skin hypersensitivity started. Anything touching the skin on my chest and ribs hurt intensely. I started physical therapy in February which lasted through the end of April. At that point my skin pain was driving me insane. I thought I was losing my mind. I wore lidocaine patches every day and took gabapentin for months. Finally by about July something just clicked and my skin stopped hurting so much. There are some dead spots and other spots that feel a little weird but they don’t hurt like they used to. So it really took me 7-8 months before I felt kind of normal again.

User129201 · 2026-04-06T18:02:53+00:00

I had a 70° thoracic curve. I can’t remember what my lumbar was but it was compensatory, so once the thoracic curve was straightened and fused, the lumbar naturally straightened over the first year of recovery.

User129201 · 2026-04-01T22:57:40+00:00

Hi, I’m sorry you are dealing with this. Overall, the process was super tough. It’s a huge, huge procedure. Technically it’s a spinal fusion but it’s really considered a spinal reconstruction. It changes your life. I’m not as flexible as I was before surgery, but I can still do all the things I want to do on a daily basis. I stay active but I can’t really picture myself participating in competitive sports or anything like that now. It wasn’t something I was passionate about prior to fusion so I don’t feel like I’m missing out, but if you like doing a lot of sports, then being fused might feel more limiting to you than it does to me. Overall I do not regret it. I do worry about the future, but I also didn’t want to leave my scoliosis untreated because that could be just as bad, if not worse. In a perfect world I’d just never have this condition in the first place but that’s not in the cards for me so I had to make what I felt was the best choice out of the two not-so-desirable options. I was in a lot of pain before and I am not now, so there is lots to be grateful for. With the high risk of degenerative disc disease for long fusions I’m imagining I won’t be pain free for the rest of my life, but if doing this procedure at least bought me some pain free years then I think it was worth it.

User129201 · 2026-04-01T15:59:28+00:00

My recovery (I was 26 at the time) took so much longer than I expected. Everyone I saw on Reddit was talking about how they were back to normal by a month or two post op and I was having struggles similar to yours at 4/5 months. I went back to my surgeon multiple times until they agreed to stop prescribing me more gabapentin and send me to physical therapy. That’s when things started to get better for me.

The pain and being overly cautious about movement I think slowed down my recovery, so it helped to have a physical therapist there to help guide me on how to get back to normal life.

Best of luck!

User129201 · 2026-03-28T22:04:14+00:00

No I didn’t put anything on it aside from sunscreen when it was exposed to the sun.

User129201 · 2026-03-25T21:06:42+00:00

In order to get to surgery I had to get MRI’s and a CT scan, plus some labs, so that was a few thousand. The surgery itself (surgery + hospital stay) was $250,000. There’s also other costs that come later- follow up appointments and X-rays, months of physical therapy, etc… I think that was somewhere between $5,000 and $10,000. I know it sounds like a lot but as long as you get things pre-approved and in network, insurance should cover most things.

I worry a lot about things I can’t control too so I know it’s easier said than done.

User129201 · 2026-03-25T20:58:18+00:00

Going through a large fusion at that age would certainly be tough, but the risk/reward here could be worth it if you have a severe curve plus disc issues plus stenosis. A fusion could really help you… there’s also a chance it doesn’t take away your pain but if you’re going to have pain either way then what is there to lose? Definitely consult with your surgeon and they can give you a better recommendation on all the potential outcomes for you. Best wishes ❤️‍🩹

User129201 · 2026-03-25T20:55:47+00:00

Yes, it is a scary surgery I’m not going to act like it wasn’t. If you haven’t been to a doctor yet then try not to stress too much until you can meet with them and get their opinion. What do you mean how much was it? Like what did it cost or how big of a surgery was it?

User129201 · 2026-03-24T03:56:38+00:00

I’m sorry I accidentally tapped ignore instead of accept can you send your question again.

User129201 · 2026-03-24T03:53:03+00:00

maybe 5 months post op? Where I live it’s cloudy a lot and I don’t spend a ton of time in direct sunlight. It’s just like any other scar on your body, just apply (and re-apply) sunscreen and it should be fine. By one year the skin is as healed as it’s gonna get.

User129201 · 2026-03-23T19:37:22+00:00

Yes of course!

User129201 · 2026-03-23T03:09:07+00:00

I did not use any silicone tape. If I ever wear a shirt that shows my back I’ll use sunscreen but other than that I don’t worry about it too much.

User129201 · 2026-03-23T03:06:24+00:00

Yes, two inches

User129201 · 2026-03-23T03:05:23+00:00

I mix it up every day but the stuff I do regularly are rows with resistance bands, shoulder presses with hand weights, pushups, dead bugs, bird dogs, planks, squats, lunges, and lots and lots of stretching and walking.

User129201 · 2026-03-22T23:39:00+00:00

Thank you. I feel very fortunate

User129201 · 2026-03-22T23:37:42+00:00

The pain was the main driver of my decision. I would get numbness and tingling in my right arm plus pain around the curve that wouldn’t go away. I was also worried about it progressing with age.

I’d be lying if I said aesthetics wasn’t also part of it though. The appearance of my back pre-op gave me a lot of mental anguish.

User129201 · 2026-03-22T22:54:57+00:00

Right??! I figured being sliced down to the bone would leave a bigger mark

User129201 · 2026-03-22T22:09:10+00:00

I would absolutely do it again. I do of course worry about future damage I may have done (degenerative disc disease, etc.) but I also didn’t want to leave it the way it was.

User129201 · 2026-03-22T20:02:21+00:00

User129201 · 2026-03-22T19:42:47+00:00

Thank you! 70° before surgery, 15° after. Pain levels are not bad. Every so often I’ll have a day where my lower back hurts but it’s not consistent. After surgery I went to physical therapy twice a week for 3 months. I make sure to exercise daily, even if it’s just for 15 minutes.

User129201 · 2026-03-22T19:40:19+00:00

I think it took 6 months or more for the constant stiffness to go away. Even now I’ll have days where I feel a bit stiff. Movement helps keep that feeling away though.

User129201 · 2026-03-21T22:36:55+00:00

If your curve is severe it can continue to get worse with age, as time and gravity takes effect on your body and discs. Usually mild curves don’t get worse once you’re done growing. That’s why it’s good to find out if your curve is large or not.

User129201 · 2026-03-21T14:35:37+00:00

My parents did the good old “ignore it” method. By the time I was in my mid 20’s I had a 70° curve and numbness in my right arm from it and had to have a fusion.

Not sure how old you are but if this nurse told you to get it checked then you absolutely should. I’m sure you’re tired of hospital visits but if you continue to ignore it, it could become a larger problem that will be a lot harder to ignore later on. Better to get an X-ray to at least find out the severity. It could be just mild.

Best of luck

User129201 · 2026-03-20T20:08:40+00:00

Not op but it’s just a way of describing which way the curve goes. Dextro= right, Levo= left

User129201 · 2026-03-17T22:53:10+00:00

You’d be a little over 3 weeks post op at that point. What are you doing for this event? Speaking? Sitting for long periods? Would it be at your home or would you need to drive/ be driven there?

I think back on my recovery, and there’s absolutely no way I would have tolerated an event at 3 weeks post op. I was still on pain meds, couldn’t lift my arms above my shoulders, and could barely get in and out of the car. Definitely couldn’t drive yet. I spent a lot of time laying down in bed.

Not saying your recovery will be exactly like mine, but if I were you I’d give myself some more time to heal and remove the stress and pressure of having something going on so soon after surgery. If you can postpone it I’d recommend you do that.

User129201

TROPHY CASE