Question
hello Dr.
 I know know smoking is bad after a spinal fusion, but how long do you have to wait following this surgery to start smoking again without serious risks to the success of the fusion.    
   Thank you in advance,     Anthony

Answer
Hi Anthony,
Thanks so much for your question.

First of all, I must apologize for not answering your question sooner. I've had some technical problems with the AllExperts.com site and then I ended up in the hospital for several days.

As you know, smoking is bad for your health. It also doesn't allow a spinal fusion to heal properly. And, it can take to 6 months to a year for the fusion to completely heal.

My suggestion is to not take a chance of smoking and inhibit the healing process unless you want to go through another fusion procedure. Each time someone has an additional fusion because it didn't heal properly, it makes subsequent fusions that much harder to heal correctly.

I hope this helps and if you have any more questions, please feel free to ask me anytime.

Thanks again,
John McKinzie