Home the same day. Healing over months.
This procedure does not trade a long recovery for an instant result. You walk out the same day and return to ordinary activity quickly; the healing that follows takes time, varies between people, and is not guaranteed. Here is the honest shape of it.
Procedure day
Outpatient, under an hour
Light sedation with local anaesthetic. Most people describe pressure rather than pain. You are discharged the same day, with your follow-up plan in writing.
The next day
Up and about
Most people are up and about the next day. Some soreness for a few days afterwards is common. For travelling patients, the flight home is typically the day after the procedure.
The first weeks
Ordinary activity, gradually
You resume ordinary activity quickly. Your liaison stays on the same thread for questions, and your physician's written plan — not this page — says what to do about lifting, driving, work, and sport.
Three to twelve months
Where any change is measured
The procedure is intended to support gradual healing. Improvement, where it occurs, is typically measured over three to twelve months. It varies between individuals and is not guaranteed.
Return visits
Follow-up, on your calendar
Follow-up imaging is available on your return visits, so you can see what changed rather than relying on how you feel on the day. Follow-up is scheduled, not a relocation.
Activity guidance comes from your physician
Everything specific — when to lift, when to drive, when to fly, when to get back to a sport — is in the written follow-up plan you leave with, and your liaison can put you through to the team at any point. This page describes the typical shape of recovery; it is not your plan.
Seek care now, not a call back
Progressive weakness, foot drop, numbness in the groin, or any loss of bladder or bowel control at any point is an emergency. Go to an emergency department rather than waiting for us to call.
Start with the scan you already have.
A physician screens the MRI you already have and tells you in writing whether you appear to be a candidate — before you spend anything, least of all a flight.