Get important information about how to care for a wound after cervical spine surgery. When can you shower? What will your scar look like? Dr. Seth Neubardt, a leading spine surgeon specializing in the treatment of cervical herniated discs, answers these questions and more.

In the video, Dr. Neubardt reviews what you need to know about caring for a wound from an ACDF procedure, the most common surgical procedure for removing a cervical herniated disc. (See this video    • Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusi...   about ACDF.) He also shows photos of patients’ scars.

From the video: When you leave the hospital after cervical spine surgery you will have a surgical bandage on your neck. Keep the bandage on for 48 hours after your surgery. After that time has passed, the skin is sealed and you can remove the bandage and shower. You can get the wound wet, Dr. Neubardt says, as you shower to remove any bacteria on your body. Soap, rinse and pat dry. Then leave the wound open to the air.

Don’t worry about the wound becoming contaminated, he says. It will heal just fine.

You may see a purple color at the wound. That purple is from the pen used to mark the skin before surgery. The scar will usually turn red and have a maroon color for several months, and then it starts to disappear. About a year after surgery, you will likely have a hard time telling which side of your neck had the surgery. When Dr. Neubardt performs cervical spine surgery for a herniated disc he tries to make the surgical incision in the crease of the neck to make scarring less noticeable. Most people don’t even notice the scar.

If you form keloids (a growth of extra scar tissue), you don’t heal well, or you have an infection, you will have a different looking scar, so he cannot guarantee the scar will be perfect, but most people (in the high 90%) will have a scar that is so unnoticeable it is difficult to tell which side of the neck it is on.

Infection after cervical spine surgery for a herniated disc is very uncommon, he adds. However, it you do develop an infection causing redness around the wound, contact your surgeon for antibiotic treatment.

To learn more about cervical spine surgery and other treatments for a herniated disc in the neck, visit http://www.cervicalherniateddisc.com.