Failed Back Surgery Syndrome Treatment in Seattle, WA

Back pain is an extremely common symptom experienced by nearly every person at some point in their life. Unfortunately, a number of individuals will continue to suffer from back pain, even after successfully completing spine surgery to address any known conditions. Patients who continue to experience pain after surgery are often determined to have failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS), which is also commonly referred to as failed back syndrome.

What Causes Failed Back Surgery Syndrome?

In some cases, lasting pain after spine surgery can be attributed to a specific cause, though there is not always a clear answer for each individual. It is not that the procedure itself has failed, but that the results of surgery have failed to provide the patient with complete relief from painful symptoms.

If a cause can be identified, it is most frequently associated with one of the following scenarios:

• Scar tissue development: In the months after spine surgery, it is possible for scar tissue to begin forming around a patient’s spinal nerve roots. This hardened tissue can inflict significant pressure along the nerve roots, resulting in significant levels of pain.
• Repeated surgeries: The higher the number of procedures and surgeries performed on the spine, the higher the likelihood that the individual will continue to experience symptomatic pain afterward. This is typically seen in cases where there is degeneration of the spine.
• Pseudoarthrosis: This particular term refers to an instance wherein a solid spinal fusion fails to form after surgery. Without this fusion, the spine remains unstable and more likely to cause severe pain.
  Failure to properly identify the patient’s condition: Of course, it is impossible to treat an individual effectively if their underlying condition is not accurately diagnosed. This can lead to unnecessary spine treatments, which will not be able to relieve the person’s pain.
• Implant failure: Spinal hardware such as rods and screws used to manually hold the spine in place do have a small chance of breaking during or after spine surgery. Without the needed support from these instruments, the spine will usually destabilize and pain will return or worsen.

How to Prevent Failed Back Surgery Syndrome

The best solution to failed back surgery syndrome is to carefully avoid it when possible. This involves receiving a clear and accurate diagnosis and working with a specialist that has many years of experience in identifying and treating complex conditions of the spine.

Even so, there is still a chance that any person may experience pain after spine surgery. In cases of failed back surgery syndrome that have no identifiable cause, the next step is to discuss ways in which patients may be able to manage their painful symptoms on a day-to-day basis.