How much risk is associated with surgery in the spine?

Depends: It depends on the exact procedure and the part of the spine involved. In the neck and mid back, the spinal cord is nearby, so it can injured in some way. In the low back, the nerves that go to and from the legs can be injured (less risky than the spinal cord. Such nerve injuries can involve feeling and strength. Other potential problems include pain, infection, bleeding, instability, deformity.

Depends: There are many different types of surgeries of the spine and each of them have some unique risks.

Varies: The nature and therefore risk of spinal surgeries varies tremendously based predominately on the size and complexity of surgery required. Microdiscectomies are small surgeries, for example, and carry a less than 1 or 2 percent complication rate in a healthy patient. Some spinal reconstructive surgeries can be so involved they may take more than one sitting to complete and can have higher risk.