Failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS) is a general term for patients who have not experienced relief from back surgery and continue to feel pain. Much like any other surgical procedure, back surgery can fail for a number of reasons even when it is performed correctly by highly skilled surgeons.
Spine surgery is performed to stabilize a painful joint, decompress a pinched nerve, or correct a spinal deformity. Because of this, back surgery may not eliminate a patient's pain completely. Potential causes of FBSS may include scar tissue formation around a nerve root, recurrent herniations, failure to fuse or implant a bone graft, inadequate decompression of a nerve root, or damage to back tissues, nerves, joints, etc. after surgery.
Treatment for pain following a failed back surgery may require a combination of interventional and conservative therapies. Spinal manipulations, physical therapy, prescription pain medication, injections stem cell therapy or implantable devices may provide some level of pain relief. Talk to the pain management specialists at Southwest Spine and Pain Center if you're looking to decrease pain and restore function from FBSS.