Failed Back Surgery Syndrome

Failed back surgery syndrome is a disorder when individuals continue to experience symptoms after a surgical procedure. This can include pain, weakness, and/or numbness. These patients experience back pain and may have difficulty returning to normal activities of daily living.

Causes:

– Smoking, which can impair fusion of the graft

– Formation of scar tissue

– Recurring or persistent disc disease at adjacent segments

– Segmental instability (movement of the vertebrae with position changes)

– Pseudoarthrosis (failure of the graft to fuse)

Symptoms:

– Pain in the back and may radiate into one or both legs

– Abnormal sensations in the lower extremities including numbness and tingling

Diagnosis:

If a patient continues to have back pain after a fusion operation, the cause of back pain should be explored. A combination of imaging studies may be used including x-rays, MRI, CT, and CT myelogram.

Treatment:

Depending on the cause of the failed back surgery syndrome, an additional surgical procedure may be required to alleviate the individual’s symptoms. In other cases, patients may benefit from non-operative treatment options to treat their pain including physical therapy, interventional pain management, nerve stimulation and/or medications.