“How long does spinal anesthesia pain last?”

The trauma from a spinal needle into the spinal space is usually not an issue. If the approach into the spinal space was not direct, but the needle had to kinda bounce off of bone to find the space, which is sometimes very difficult to find, there could be some, usually temporary, pain. If there are associated symptoms like, headaches, that are positional (worse standing than laying down), the pain could be a dural puncture headache. Either trauma can and usually diminishes on its own. A spinal headache may need futher interventions, like a blood patch, to seal the puncture site into the spinal space by the spinal needle.

This depends on many factors. First, was the spinal placed easily? Or were there multiple attempts? The longer it took to complete,
the longer the procedure pain will last. Secondly, is your back very muscular? In general, the greater the density of back muscles, the longer it will take for them to heal from the needle puncture. Finally, what was your body’s position in after placement of the spinal? Were you lying on your back and if so, for how long? Generally, the longer you lay on your back, the longer the healing process will be. The pain in any case should not last longer than 2 weeks; if it does, please seek immediate medical attention. Good luck! Meanwhile, ice and stretching exercises and over the counter acetaminophen or ibuprofen may be useful.

You should seek answers from the provider that administered the spinal anesthesia. They would have more direct information about the type/s of anesthesia that was administered to you and their effects.

Hi,

I do hear some patients complain of this. It might be local pain just from the needle going in and usually that resolved within a couple of weeks if not sooner. If you’re still having an issue, it might mean that you had something going on in your spine prior, but would depend on specifically your story.

This can be from a variety of sources/possibilities. I would reach out to the anesthesia department that performed this procedure. In most cases, this is self limiting.

Spinal anesthesia is a way to control pain during surgery. Some of the risks and side effects include:

-Allergic reaction to the anesthesia used
-Bleeding around the spinal column (hematoma)
-Difficulty urinating
-Drop in blood pressure
-Infection in your spine (meningitis or abscess)
-Nerve damage
-Seizures (this is rare)
-Severe headache

Pain that persists more than a few days after the procedure may be a sign of ongoing inflammation, infection, or other pathology. It's important to have an evaluation by a medical doctor in these cases.