Failed back surgery syndrome is a disorder that arises after an unsuccessful surgery.
As its name implies, the chief feature of the syndrome is a failure to adequately address the symptoms that initially led to surgical treatment for a back-related ailment.
Specific reasons for this failure tend to vary from case to case.
Causes You can develop the symptoms of failed back surgery syndrome if surgery fails to relieve excessive pressure on your spinal cord or nerve roots, correct a herniated disc, or correct instability in your spinal column.
You can also develop the syndrome if your surgeon damages your tissues during your procedure, if you don't maintain muscle tone in your back during post-surgical recovery, if your surgery significantly alters the function of your spinal joints, or if you develop scar tissue at the site of your procedure.
Potential contributing factors include depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances and the presence of other serious health problems such as diabetes or immune system disorders.
You also have higher risks if you're a smoker.
Symptoms The symptoms associated with your particular case of failed back surgery syndrome will depend on two basic factors: the nature of your initial back problems and the methods your surgeon employed to address these problems.
The classic general symptom is pain that covers broad regions of your back or leg, or appears in both of these areas simultaneously.
Some people develop pain with a dull or aching characteristic, while others develop pain with a pricking or sharp characteristic.
Failed Back Surgery Syndrome Treatments Your doctor will establish a treatment plan that may include oral medications to suppress pain or reduce your levels of inflammation, injected medications that achieve these same goals, exercises that relieve pressure on your nerves or spinal cord, pain-suppressing electrical stimulation of your nervous system tissues, or internal pumps that deliver regular doses of pain medication to these tissues.
Generally speaking, you have a lower risk for the onset of failed back surgery syndrome if your doctor correctly diagnoses your underlying condition and only recommends surgery when absolutely necessary.
As a patient, you should consider all of the most conservative options prior to surgery.
Another very effective treatment option is the discectomy and neural decompression (DND).
With this procedure, specially trained physicians can visualize the sources that may be causing chronic back pain associated with failed back surgery syndrome, and then address the problem areas immediately with the use of a laser and various other tools.