If the surgery simply prevents progression of the spinal cord damage (myelopathy) and there is no loss of function due to the surgery, both the patient and surgeon should consider the treatment successful.

Patients will feel some pain after surgery, especially at the incision site. While tingling sensations or numbness is common, and should lessen over time, they should be reported to the doctor. Most patients are encouraged to be up and moving around within a few hours after surgery. After surgery, your doctor will give you instructions on when you can resume your normal daily activities.

Signs of infection like swelling, redness or draining at the incision site, and fever should be checked out by the surgeon immediately. Keep in mind, the amount of time it takes to return to normal activities is different for every patient. Discomfort should decrease a little each day. Most patients will benefit from a postoperative exercise program or supervised physical therapy after surgery. You should ask your doctor about exercises to help with recovery.

Outcome
The results of the surgery are variable since some people have more extensive disease than others. In general, after the surgery most patients can expect to regain:

• Some spinal cord function
• Improvement in their hand function and walking/balancing capabilities
• Surgery is very effective in reducing the pain in the arms and shoulders caused by nerve compression. However, some neck pain may persist.
• Decreased numbness in the hands (if there was a lot of numbness prior to the surgery, it probably won't go away completely)

The outcome of decompression treatment for the spinal cord impingement is more variable than surgery for nerve root impingement. Decompressive procedures such as laminectomy generally arrest progression of the spinal disorder. The amount of recovery of neurologic function such as balance, coordination, bowel or bladder incontinence depends on the amount and duration of compression, as well as the presence of any permanent damage to the spinal cord.