Failed Back surgery syndrome (FBSS)

Failed Back surgery syndrome (FBSS) in Kondapur, Hyderabad

A failed back surgery syndrome is associated with persistent pain in your lower back after spine surgery. If you’ve recently had surgery on your spine and still feel pain in your lower back, it can be regarded as a failed surgery syndrome. This is a continuing challenge for most professionals because there isn’t a 100% guarantee of cure even after surgery.

What exactly does a failed back surgery syndrome mean?

As the name clearly states, it is a post-surgery syndrome. When there's no improvement in your lower back pain even after the surgery, it is referred to as a Failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS). However, it is known to be a misleading term. It does not mean that your surgery or surgeon has failed to correct your spine. There are various factors that can lead to a Failed back surgery (FBS).

What are the symptoms of a failed back surgery syndrome?

The Failed back surgery will cause the pain to return. The symptoms pointing towards an FBSS could be;

1. Returned pain
2. Difficulty in mobility
3. Sleeplessness due to pain
4. Depression due to persisting pain

What causes a Failed Back Surgery Syndrome?

A lot of factors can play a role in giving rise to failed back surgery syndrome, such as;

• Incorrect diagnosis of pain- maybe you needed some other treatment
• Failed fusion or implant failure- this could happen when the treatment didn’t work and the fusion of bone didn't happen.
• Ineffective decompression- in the case of decompression surgery, it is possible that the pressure of compression wasn’t enough to be effective
• Continued deterioration of the spine- It is also possible that your spine continues to degrade even after the surgery, which can cause your pain to return.
• Scar tissue formation- these tissues help in the helping process but sometimes they can bind to nerve roots causing extreme pain.
• t is also possible that the surgery didn't actually work and caused an unbalanced distribution of load.

When to see a doctor?

It is better to see a doctor at Apollo Kondapur when you start to feel pain again after your surgery. The pain could return immediately or after some time. The doctor will suggest some tests and examine if you have FBSS.

Request an appointment at Apollo Spectra Hospitals, Kondapur

Call 1860-500-2244 to book an appointment

What are certain risk factors of FBSS?

Although it is unknown what causes a failed surgery syndrome, there are certain risk factors that can lead to FBSS. Some of them may be;

Pre-surgery FBS risks

Some pre-operative FBSS risk factors are:

• A mental or emotional disorder such as anxiety or depression
• Being overweight can increase the risk of an FBSS
• Smoking is another risk factor of concern
• Other pre-existing conditions causing pain may lead to misdiagnosis of pain

FBS risk factors at the time of surgery

During the time of surgery, some factors that may lead to FBSS include:

• Failed decompression to create enough space around spinal nerves
• Too much space created around nerves, leading to instability of spinal
• Performing a wrong surgery-which is very rare about 2% of cases have this.

Risk factors after the surgery

After the successful surgery, some factors may cause or contribute to failed back surgery. They include:

• Recurrent diagnosis
• Adjacent segment disease (ASD) increases the stress after a spinal fusion
• Epidural fibrosis (EF) occurs when nerve roots are bound by a scar tissue
• A spinal infection could also lead to a failed back surgery syndrome
• The spinal imbalance that can add to the degeneration process
• Radiating pain due to a spinal nerve root irritation
• The development of pseudo-arthrosis.

How is a Failed back surgery treated?

A failed back surgery syndrome can be treated in different ways depending upon your state. The doctors at Apollo Kondapur might suggest one or more of the following-

Medications- Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs may be suggested by your doctor to relieve the pain. Some of the most common medicines include:

• Acetaminophen
• Anticonvulsants
• Antidepressants
• Muscle relaxants
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
• Opioids
• Topical pain relievers

Physiotherapy-A rehabilitation practice is usually suggested as a treatment in addition to medications for FBS. The therapy helps increase the flexibility of your nerves.

Corticosteroid Injection- Sometimes, to get rid of the pain a corticosteroid injection is used. It is directly injected into the spine. It can help in reducing pain and inflammation.

A failed back surgery syndrome can occur for a lot of reasons and it doesn’t mean a failed surgery. It is a misleading term as per doctors. However, an FBSS can be managed with medicines and rehabilitation techniques.