Cervical Laminectomy — Post-Op Cervical Laminoplasty / Discectomy

Advanced Orthopedics and Sports Medicine (Houston Spine Surgeon) · Dr. Jeffrey H. Oppenheimer MD

Weight-Bearing

WBAT from POD 1; walking to ½ mile daily or stationary bike 15-30 min

Key Restrictions

Collar per surgeon (multilevel hard x 6 wks; single-level soft as needed 1-2 wks); avoid excessive cervical loading; minimize overhead resisted arm movements; arm exercises restricted to 5 lbs below 90 deg elevation until 6 wks; no passive cervical stretching

Timeline & Phases

3 phases: Phase I IPSP (0-6 wks, home), Phase II OP PT (6-9 wks, 2-3x/wk), Phase III Advanced (9+ wks)

Notes

Covers laminoplasty and discectomy (posterior approach); notable: OP PT starts at 6 wks (later than anterior approaches); Phase II: longus colli pressure biofeedback, cervical joint position sense with laser pointer, oculomotor exercises; Phase III: cervical AROM physician/surgery-dependent, advanced balance, avoid preloading spine with overhead UE; same practice as other Houston Spine protocols in database

Surgeon / Author

Dr. Jeffrey H. Oppenheimer MD