16. How long is the recovery time after a typical sinus surgery procedure?
sinus-faq16-drferguson
Berrylin J. Ferguson, M.D. Pittsburgh, PA
Most patients can return to work within a week. The surgery is usually performed on an outpatient basis. It may be performed under general local anesthesia with sedation. Some procedures may be performed in the office under local anesthesia. If the patient has required general anesthesia and moderately extensive sinus surgery, they will experience increased nasal congestion in facial pain or pressure and decreased energy for about three weeks postoperatively. Patients who have jobs in dusty or dirty environments are encouraged to stay off work until their nose is totally healed (about 2 to 3 weeks).
sinus-faq16-drmcgraw Becky L McGraw-Wall, M.D. Houston, TX
In general, patients should plan on taking 7-10 days off from work or school after sinus surgery. Primarily this is because of the nasal congestion and facial pressure that many patients feel after sinus surgery. One should not resume strenuous activity, aerobics, or weight lifting until 2 full weeks have passed after surgery in order to reduce the risk of bleeding.
sinus-faq16-drhwang
Peter Hwang, M.D.
Associate Professor and Director
Stanford Sinus Center Stanford, CA
Recovery from sinus surgery typically takes about 1 week. Most patients find it helpful to take 1-2 weeks off from work. Most patients will use narcotic pain relievers for 1-5 days after surgery. Most patients in my practice do not require nasal packing, and there is almost no incidence of facial swelling or bruising.
sinus-faq16-drkingdom
Todd Kingdom, M.D. Denver, CO
This will depend on the extent of the sinus disease, the extent of the surgery, and the surgeon's technique. Generally speaking, however, the patient will experience nasal congestion with mucous discharge from the nose, often bloody, for the first week. The discharge will taper off over the subsequent 1-2 weeks but the congestion may last for 3-4 weeks. Most patients can return to limited activities within a week and return to their routine activities by the second week after surgery. From a healing standpoint, the sinus cavities may require 3-6 weeks to complete the healing process. However, the patient begins to recover sooner than the tissues themselves.
Becky L McGraw-Wall, M.D.
