Are Delay And Difficulty In Initiating Urine After Spine Surgery Normal?

Posted on Tue, 1 Nov 2016

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 1 Nov 2016 Answered on

Fri, 18 Nov 2016 Last reviewed on

Question : Post-spine surgery, after catheter was removed, took awhile for urine to pass through easily - almost like it was dammed up and then would release and then sometimes dammed up again. The psoas muscle had been retracted for 3 hours during surgery and I was told maybe it was just a "tube" or something that got pinched. However, since then, urine has a bit of a scent whether it's clear or not. Drink lots of fluids. Wondering what indications might be? No pain or irritation. Took cranberry supplements for 30 days post surgery just in case. Now it's been 2 months. Thanks for any input!

Answered by Dr. Dr. P. T. Patil (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
difficulty in initiating urination could be due to spine surgery .

Detailed Answer:
Hello
Thanks for query .

Difficulty in initiating urination after spine surgery is known to occur due to edema of the spinal cord and nerve roots involved in act of micturition .

It normally get resolved spontaneously over a period of time of 3-4 months .

You may take (Bethanechol ) twice daily will help to increase power of Bladder muscle (Detrusor)and efficient emptying of bladder .

Hope I have answered your query ,please feel free to ask if you have more questions , I shall be happy to help you .
Thanks and Regards
Dr.Patil.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar