Menu
You may experience the same pain that bothered you before surgery, or you might develop new back pain.
In some cases, you may feel better after your surgery but then find that the pain returns in a few months. If your pain doesn’t significantly and consistently improve in the first few months after your spine surgery, you may have failed back surgery syndrome.
If you suffer from failed back surgery, the specialists at the Advanced Relief Institute have extensive experience using interventional pain management techniques and alternative therapies to reduce your pain and improve your physical and emotional well-being.
We tailor all of our treatments to your specific needs and are dedicated to determining the root cause of your pain for long-lasting relief.
Back and spine surgery is very complex, and, sadly, it cannot always produce the expected results.
While unforeseen complications can occur, the most common reasons for failed back surgery syndrome include:
During your back surgery recovery, you may develop an infection or excessive scarring that prevents complete healing.
Repairing the existing problem in your spine won’t prevent other issues from developing. Additionally, the biomechanics of your spine may change after surgery and accelerate degenerative changes.
Your surgery may have repaired one problem but ignored another condition that wasn’t identified or treated.
Our specialists always aim to find the root cause of your pain. If failed back surgery is suspected, our team will review your medical history and current symptoms before performing a physical and neurological exam. These tests will identify areas of spasm, tenderness, swelling, and nerve dysfunction.
Additionally, an X-ray or other imaging tests may be required.
The doctors at the Advanced Relief Institute take an integrative approach to relieve your persistent back pain.
Once we determine the underlying cause of your pain, we will create a customized treatment plan that draws from interventional pain management and multidisciplinary therapies.
Interventional pain management medicine uses a collection of pain-blocking techniques that may include:
Steroid injections relieve your pain by reducing inflammation. The other treatments target specific nerves that are sending pain messages to the brain.
Each technique works differently, but they all block the pain signals, preventing them from reaching your brain.
Spinal cord stimulation uses electrical pulses to relieve chronic pain in the back, arms, and legs, including pain after failed back surgery. Electrical pulses help prevent pain signals from being received by the brain.
Most patients require a trial period for their spinal cord stimulation to see if it is an appropriate treatment. During this trial period, one or more insulated wired leads are inserted through an epidural needle or small incision near the epidural space. Electrodes are attached to the end of these leads to create electrical pulses that block pain signals.
During the trial period, these are connected to an external stimulator; however, if this treatment proves to be effective, this external stimulator will be implanted. At the end of the trial period, the temporary leads are removed and the permanent leads are inserted. These are connected to an IPG battery inserted beneath the skin (of the buttocks and abdomen). Patients can adjust these pulses as needed.
There may be some mild discomfort at the incision sites for a few days after the treatment.
The platelets in PRP injections and the building blocks in amniotic fluid treatments help trigger a healing response in the body. Stem cell injections can stimulate the existing, dormant stem cells in the body to help rebuild damaged tissues.
Your treatment plan may include multidisciplinary or alternative treatments proven to relieve pain and promote healing, such as physical therapy, therapeutic massage, cold laser therapy, and acupuncture.
If you underwent an injection or nerve block therapy, there might be some temporary sensitivity or discomfort in the treated area. This usually resolves within a few days.
While interventional pain management and multidisciplinary therapies cannot guarantee a cure for failed back surgery syndrome, they can significantly reduce your pain and may provide you with complete relief.
If you are experiencing prolonged discomfort after initial back surgery, reach out to the experts at the Advanced Relief Institute. They will work to understand your pain in order to provide you with the most appropriate treatment and maintenance plan.
Get In Touch