There is no strong evidence to support spine surgery soon after a traumatic injury to prevent some of the secondary damage, mainly because the available study data cannot be easily compared, according to a study published in the Journal of Neurotrauma.
The researchers performed a systematic review of the literature on spinal decompression surgery following traumatic spinal cord injury.
The study found that found that "early" spine surgery was associated with greater motor and neurological improvement and shorter length of hospital stay as compared to "late" spine surgery. However, the evidence supporting early spine surgery is not absolute. For example, the studies being compared included patients with various severities and levels of spinal cord injuries.
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