Lumbar puncture: Caring for your child at home after the procedure

Your child has had a lumbar puncture. The information on this page explains how to care for your child at home after the procedure, and when to call for help.

Discharge from the hospital

Most children can have a lumbar puncture and go home the same day. If your child's doctor has arranged this, your child will be ready to go home about one hour after the procedure.

Bathing

Your child may have a bath or shower 24 hours after the procedure.

Meals

If your child is feeling well enough after the anaesthetic, they can return to eating what they normally eat. It is also important to encourage your child to drink plenty of fluids for 48 hours after the procedure. This will help to prevent headaches.

Pain relief

Your child may have some discomfort in their back immediately after the lumbar puncture. After the procedure, children sometimes also get a bad headache. This happens because the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) can leak out of the hole where the spinal needle went in, which can cause headaches. In most cases, the hole closes on its own, and the headache goes away in few days. At home, you can give your child acetaminophen, if needed, or medications prescribed by their doctor. Do not give your child any medicines that thin the blood, such as acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) or ibuprofen, or blood thinners. If you are unsure, or regularly using one of these medications, check with the nurse or your child’s health-care provider first.

Activity

Your child may cry more, be fussy or be very clingy and become difficult to comfort after surgery. Your child can be picked up, sit for safe feeding, or stand up for short periods of time. Your child should have minimal activities for the first two days after the procedure. Your child may return to regular activity after 48 hours.

Results

The doctor who ordered the procedure will receive the results of your child's lumbar puncture. You will need to make an appointment with them to discuss the results.

When to see a doctor

Call your child’s doctor or go to the nearest Emergency Department right away if your child has any of the following symptoms:

• Fever greater than 38°C (100.4°F)
• Headache that persists more than a few hours after the procedure or that occurs when they change position
• Seizures that are new in onset
• Numbness and tingling of the legs
• Leakage at the site of the needle insertion
• Difficulty peeing or having unexpected accidents after the procedure
• Persistent vomiting immediately after getting home, or vomiting and nausea that continues 48 hours after the procedure

Be sure to let the Emergency Department staff know that your child had a lumbar puncture.

At SickKids: If the procedure was performed in the IGT Department

If you have any concerns in the first 48 hours, call the Image Guided Therapy (IGT) clinic at (416) 813- 7654 ext. 201804. Speak to the IGT clinic nurse during working hours or leave a non-urgent message.

If you have concerns and it is after working hours, see your child’s primary care provider or go to the nearest Emergency Department. You can also call The Hospital for Sick Children switchboard at (416) 813-7500 and ask them to page a member of your child’s health-care team or the interventional radiology fellow on call.

At SickKids: If the procedure was performed by another department

If you have any concerns during the 48 hours after the procedure, contact the doctor who performed the procedure or a clinic nurse in the department the procedure took place.

If you have concerns and it is after working hours, see your child’s primary care provider, go to the nearest Emergency Department, or call the Hospital for Sick Children switchboard at (416) 813-7500 and ask them to page the doctor who performed the procedure.