Failed Back Surgery

Failed back surgery syndrome is continued low back pain with or without radicular pain after lumbar surgery.

Recent studies have shown the incidence of failed back surgeries can run from 50-75%. This coupled with the fact that most back problems can be treated with conservative care is leading to an epidemic of unwarranted and useless surgeries leaving patients with the same or more pain than when they started.

What causes Failed back surgery syndrome

This can happen because of several things. Tissue damage can occur during the surgery. So, myofascial pains can happen after a separation of tissue. When that tissue comes back together, the connective tissue may cause fibrosis - and that can trap nerves - or in itself become tight and painful.

If a spinal fusion was performed, segments of the spine that were moving separately are now joined together. So instead of each of the 5 spinal bones in the back moving individually and taking up 20 % of the spinal load, now if 2 or 3 segments are fused you will now have upwards of 33% of the load falling on each segment. This causes additional forces on the segments, more wear and tear, and more pain in that segment.

In our office, Drs Lupo and Saladino use Cox Technic Flexion Distraction and Decompression to widen the canal space, drop the intradiscal pressure and increase the disc height to relieve pain.

You will welcome the Cox Technic manipulation that gently "pulls you apart," as many patients describe the treatment or say they need. Depending on the severity of your pain and symptoms, gentler Protocol I may be applied until 50% of your pain has been relieved.