Spinal anesthesia: What's your experience?

If anyone wouldn't mind walking me through what spinal anesthesia actually feels like... especially if you've had one for knee arthroscopy. I'd love to hear about the procedure itself and how the recovery went. Thanks. 🙂

Nothing? Seriously? ☕

I’ve never undergone spinal anesthesia myself, though my father had it done just last month, and I picked up some basics during my studies.
The process starts with two small injections of local anesthetic at the puncture site to numb the area. From there, they needle between the L3-L4 or L4-L5 lumbar vertebrae to reach the spinal canal and administer the actual anesthesia. You stay fully awake throughout the procedure, but you won't feel a thing from the waist down. Afterward, you’re required to lie flat in bed for 24 hours to avoid any post-anesthesia nausea. The only slightly unsettling part is the total lack of sensation; when they lift your leg, it doesn't even feel like yours—it feels like someone else's limb. That sensation lingers until the anesthesia wears off, usually after about two or three hours.

I underwent spinal anesthesia during a hip surgery at a Salisbury hospital. You basically just lie there, slightly hunched over, while the anesthesiologist jams a needle into your spine to administer the drugs.
After about ten minutes, you lose all sensation in your legs, yet you remain wide awake through the entire procedure (one can only wonder how pleasant that actually feels). For me, feeling my legs again didn't happen until later that evening, roughly ten hours later.
It’s been five or six years since then, and I haven't dealt with any issues like back pain or anything similar. According to my anesthesiologist, compared to general anesthesia, spinal is much easier on the patient.

Man, I’ve actually had to go under the knife five different times just in the last two years because of a nasty car accident.
Every single one of them was done with spinal anesthesia. It’s such a trip—they wheel you into the OR, you’re lying there on that table, and then they give you this injection right in your spine. It’s definitely a little uncomfortable, kind of a weird sensation, but then you just lie there and within a few minutes, everything just goes numb. Sometimes they’ll toss in something extra if they want you to drift off into a deep sleep too... personally, I usually couldn't feel a thing for about two hours after the surgery was over. Once those legs start waking up and you realize you can't feel your feet or anything around there, it's a wild feeling! They wouldn't really let me stay lying down for too long afterward, either... and honestly, you've gotta chug tons of fluids as soon as you start coming around, because apparently, that helps flush all that medicinal stuff out of your system.

Thanks for all the input... I'm actually looking at getting knee surgery done at Mayo Clinic, so I wanted to get the full picture.

Richard Fox72 said:Man, I’ve actually had to go under the knife five different times just in the last two years because of a nasty car accident.
Every single one of them was done with spinal anesthesia. It’s such a trip—they wheel you into the OR, you’re lying there on that table, and then they give you this injection right in your spine. It’s definitely a little uncomfortable, kind of a weird sensation, but then you just lie there and within a few minutes, everything just goes numb. Sometimes they’ll toss in something extra if they want you to drift off into a deep sleep too... personally, I usually couldn't feel a thing for about two hours after the surgery was over. Once those legs start waking up and you realize you can't feel your feet or anything around there, it's a wild feeling! They wouldn't really let me stay lying down for too long afterward, either... and honestly, you've gotta chug tons of fluids as soon as you start coming around, because apparently, that helps flush all that medicinal stuff out of your system.

Weren't you supposed to stay still for 24 hours after a spinal?

urbangull25 said:Weren't you supposed to stay still for 24 hours after a spinal?

I definitely had to...but honestly, the staff was being so "helpful" they basically forced me to get up way too early, which was such a dumb move on their part.

Actually, didn't I just post something about spinal anesthesia here a little while ago?...🤔...now I'm wondering where on earth this identical thread came from...I guess I need to start connecting the dots...

Copying my post from the pregnancy forum here.

So... I've had six hip surgeries (car accident), one cosmetic procedure, and one C-section...
I definitely know my way around anesthesia and narcotics—out of those eight operations, four were under general anesthesia and four were spinal.

Spinal
The OR is freezing—it has to be for the sterile conditions—but honestly, it feels like lying in a morgue.😱 Everything is just shades of green or blue. The table is incredibly narrow; you feel like your butt is going to slide off the sides at any moment. You’re pinned down there like Jesus on the cross... both arms are held up at shoulder height like you're reaching out for a hug.
One hand has an IV, the other has a blood pressure cuff that keeps loudly announcing your heart rate right into your ear.
They give you a sheet to cover up, so you can't see or feel anything from the chest down... but looking up at the anesthesiologist and the nurse at the head of the bed with those masks and caps on... truth be told, it's terrifying. Especially when you realize you can't feel the bottom half of your body.
With a spinal, the actual insertion hurts—it’s not a "pleasant" kind of pain. They have to slide the cannula into your spine before they actually inject the meds.
Recovery... you aren't even getting up until 24 hours later.


General
You lie down, they hook up the IV in one arm and the blood pressure cuff on the other, give you some oxygen, and that's it... you drift off. None of that creepy stuff I mentioned above.
Recovery... you're usually up and moving about 12 hours later.

Doctors—specifically anesthesiologists—prefer spinal anesthesia because they get more practice on our spines, plus it’s just easier for them since you don't have to deal with intubation or bringing someone back around from general

James Cox6 said:Doctors—specifically anesthesiologists—prefer spinal anesthesia because they get more practice on our spines, plus it’s just easier for them since you don't have to deal with intubation or bringing someone back around from general

🙂

it's not gonna happen...

Who on earth thinks the motivation is "practicing on someone's spine"...😕Spinal anesthesia is actually much safer for the patient, and honestly, that’s the big reason why...not to mention it takes way more skill and effort than general anesthesia. It's way easier to just pump in some succinylcholine and thiopental, pop in a tube, hook the patient up to a "Budweiser" or "Fabius" machine...and then occasionally toss in another dose of a muscle relaxant...
Any seasoned anesthesiologist will tell you that spinal anesthesia is the more technically demanding route...

Scott Allen10 said:🙂

it's not gonna happen...

Who on earth thinks the motivation is "practicing on someone's spine"...😕Spinal anesthesia is actually much safer for the patient, and honestly, that’s the big reason why...not to mention it takes way more skill and effort than general anesthesia. It's way easier to just pump in some succinylcholine and thiopental, pop in a tube, hook the patient up to a "Budweiser" or "Fabius" machine...and then occasionally toss in another dose of a muscle relaxant...
Any seasoned anesthesiologist will tell you that spinal anesthesia is the more technically demanding route...

Exactly.👍

And let's be real—you don't learn actual practice from a textbook, you learn it on patients. That level of precision with the needle requires "muscle memory"—and having that kind of muscle memory usually means you've already poked plenty of XYZ spines.

So how do you actually get there? You practice on patients. 🙂

But wouldn't general anesthesia actually be better for the patient than spinal? I mean, it’s not exactly pleasant to have no feeling in the lower half of your body, especially if the sensation doesn't come back for ten hours like some people were saying in the other threads.

About eight years ago, I had two quick procedures under general anesthesia, and honestly, I didn't have any issues at all. I wasn't even remotely nauseous afterward, and I woke up pretty quickly. I could have opted for local anesthesia instead, but I just didn't want to after having one incredibly bad experience with local anesthesia during a procedure at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. For a healthy young person who has cleared their blood work, an internal medicine exam, and the anesthesiologist's checkup, I guess general anesthesia doesn't carry significantly higher risks.

I also read somewhere that Janica Kostelić chose general anesthesia every single time she had knee surgery, and she seems perfectly fine today, despite having gone under general anesthesia so many times for those knee operations.

Basically, the anesthesiologist calls the shots on which type of anesthesia you'll get, looking at everything from the specific surgery and how long it’ll take to your overall health and what meds you're already on, though if there's a choice between methods, they'll usually let you have a say in it.

Now, spinal anesthesia—which is really just a type of regional or even local anesthesia depending on how you look at it—works by injecting the anesthetic directly into your spinal fluid to block all those pain signals from the lower half of your body to your brain, which keeps things quiet for the surgeon and totally painless for you.

General anesthesia is a whole different ballgame because, unlike that targeted approach, it hits your entire system and affects how everything functions; we're talking a direct hit to your heart, lungs, and neurological systems even if we aren't actually operating on them... and honestly, no matter how thorough the pre-op checkup is, you can never be 100% certain how someone's EKG, blood pressure, breathing, or consciousness will react during or especially after the procedure.

So, my take is that whenever it's an option, we should always aim for the less aggressive method for the patient, even if it turns out to be a bit more technically demanding for us to pull off.

I had knee arthroscopy about a year ago—went under spinal anesthesia... didn't hurt a bit. The whole surgery was wrapped up in under an hour. Afterward, they had me resting for a bit, but by the very next day, I was already out in the halls using crutches, trying to walk as much as possible. I even managed to put some weight on that knee pretty quickly! I was discharged after just four days, followed by two rounds of two-week physical therapy sessions, and everything turned out great.

Paul Moore16

I wonder if you actually got a say in which type of anesthesia was used? Did they even bother asking you?

I honestly feel like everyone should have the chance to choose their own anesthesia, though obviously, you’d still need to follow what the anesthesiologist recommends. I mean, why would I ever agree to spinal anesthesia if it's something I really wanted to avoid? I guess I'm just speaking hypothetically here since I'm not facing any surgery anytime soon. But seriously, if someone like Janica Kostelić could have a choice in her medical options, why shouldn't other young people have that same right? Take that young handball player, for instance—I think he had to go under spinal anesthesia for his knee surgery. I actually watched an interview with him on TV earlier this year, and... I don't know, it just seemed like it wasn't such a great experience for him, having the surgery done that way.

mistyjackal842 said:Paul Moore16

I wonder if you actually got a say in which type of anesthesia was used? Did they even bother asking you?

I honestly feel like everyone should have the chance to choose their own anesthesia, though obviously, you’d still need to follow what the anesthesiologist recommends. I mean, why would I ever agree to spinal anesthesia if it's something I really wanted to avoid? I guess I'm just speaking hypothetically here since I'm not facing any surgery anytime soon. But seriously, if someone like Janica Kostelić could have a choice in her medical options, why shouldn't other young people have that same right? Take that young handball player, for instance—I think he had to go under spinal anesthesia for his knee surgery. I actually watched an interview with him on TV earlier this year, and... I don't know, it just seemed like it wasn't such a great experience for him, having the surgery done that way.

Well, when I met with the anesthesiologist, we had a brief chat. He asked me a few questions, and based on our conversation and the lab results I brought in (blood work, etc.), he concluded that spinal anesthesia was the way to go for me. That said, some people might prefer general anesthesia—where you're actually asleep—but they might not be able to choose it if their test results aren't ideal. In those cases, certain types of anesthesia could actually be life-threatening for them. So, ultimately, the final call rests with the doctor.

I guess at the end of the day, it really comes down to the patient's decision, though I suppose you have to weigh their opinion and suggestions from the anesthesiologist too.

Hi everyone!
I have a quick question regarding spinal anesthesia... basically, I’ve been scheduled for a C-section on October 22nd. If I get the choice, I would really prefer the spinal, but I'm not entirely sure if it's an option for me given my back issues.
To give some context, I have a curved spine—nothing extreme, but it shows up on X-rays—and I deal with chronic sciatica and a herniated disc at L5-S1 that's been acting up for about five years now.
Back when I had my last MRI, the report noted that my "spinal canal is of appropriate width"... but that was a while ago...
I'm currently 37 weeks pregnant, so my water could break at any moment, which would mean heading straight to the ER for an emergency C-section, assuming I understood the process correctly. However, if I make it until the 22nd, I believe I might be able to choose, and they usually recommend a spinal. My first baby seven years ago was a natural birth, but this baby is breech and quite large, so it looks like a C-section is likely.
I'm honestly pretty nervous about all of this, especially with my spinal issues... Scott Allen10, I see you know a lot about this stuff, so maybe you could let me know if my back problems will affect my ability to receive spinal anesthesia? Or is it still an option regardless?

wiredtrucker11 said:Hi everyone!
I have a quick question regarding spinal anesthesia... basically, I’ve been scheduled for a C-section on October 22nd. If I get the choice, I would really prefer the spinal, but I'm not entirely sure if it's an option for me given my back issues.
To give some context, I have a curved spine—nothing extreme, but it shows up on X-rays—and I deal with chronic sciatica and a herniated disc at L5-S1 that's been acting up for about five years now.
Back when I had my last MRI, the report noted that my "spinal canal is of appropriate width"... but that was a while ago...
I'm currently 37 weeks pregnant, so my water could break at any moment, which would mean heading straight to the ER for an emergency C-section, assuming I understood the process correctly. However, if I make it until the 22nd, I believe I might be able to choose, and they usually recommend a spinal. My first baby seven years ago was a natural birth, but this baby is breech and quite large, so it looks like a C-section is likely.
I'm honestly pretty nervous about all of this, especially with my spinal issues... Scott Allen10, I see you know a lot about this stuff, so maybe you could let me know if my back problems will affect my ability to receive spinal anesthesia? Or is it still an option regardless?

You’ll have a consultation with the anesthesiologist beforehand where they suggest options and you sign off.
I have scoliosis myself, and every single time they tried a spinal, it took 7 or 8 attempts—even for this C-section, they started trying for a spinal first (after 6 tries, my doctor walked into the OR and said ENOUGH... STOP TORTURING HER).

The baby just needs to come out... what else matters? General anesthesia... whatever. I don't care—as long as the baby is healthy, born, and has an Apgar score of 10/10. This happens at Mayo Clinic.
They aren't the type of hospital to sugarcoat things; they don't perform C-sections without medical necessity, they don't push general anesthesia if it isn't needed, and they don't hand out high Apgar scores just to be nice.

So... focus on the baby, not yourself or your anxiety. Listen to your maternal instinct. I’d take general anesthesia 100 times over just to ensure the baby is okay.