Failed Back Surgery Syndrome (FBSS)
Posted by Danny Goldberg on Thu, Apr 28, 2011 @ 02:52 PM
Failed Back Surgery Syndrome is a problem that arises predominantly in patients who have had traditional open back surgery. It should be stated that this is not an actual “syndrome”, but a term used in the medical community. However, it is medically recognized as a chronic pain syndrome. This term applies to patients who have had an increase in symptoms, pain or discomfort after they have had a traditional open back procedure. These procedures can include a laminectomy, a kyhoplasty, a spinal fusion, as well as procedures for degenerative disc diseases, spinal stenosis and herniated discs.
FBSS generally occurs when the root problem of spinal or back discomfort is not properly addressed. Prior to the advent of minimally invasive technologies, most patients were diagnosed using an X-ray, an MRI or possibly both. However, these methods only gave a still picture of the spine while in a stationary position. This often led to misdiagnosis or an inaccurate diagnosis because doctors were often left to conjecture where the problem in the spine was located.
One of the biggest causes contributing to FBSS is complications during a traditional open back procedure. Considering the incompleteness of most MRI’s and X-rays, a surgeons ability to accurately diagnose a patients underlying cause for pain was diminished. For this reason, many open back procedures were exploratory and required the exposure of the entire spine. In these surgeries, all of the spinal issues may not have been addressed or some may have been overlooked. The most common surgical complications were that nerves were not fully decompressed, vertebra were not properly fused, joints were not properly stabilized or the resulting scar tissue has bound or compressed or nerve routes. This study shows the rate of FBSS in traditional back surgeries and the percentages are staggering.
Not only does FBSS cause physical and emotional pain for the patient, but financial as well. In most instances the only way to treat FBSS is with further back surgery. Sometime this can be corrected in a single surgery, other times it may require a series of surgeries to repair the damages. In some cases a patient may also need a surgical implant to block the pain signals from entering the brain.
With NJSR’s Minimally Invasive Approach these issues have been eliminated. Advances in fluoroscopic and X-ray technologies have allowed doctors to see real-time three dimensional models of the spine. This allows them to more accurately diagnose problems in the cervical spine and lumbar spine. Also, being that the spine is a perpetually moving system that moves with the body, an affliction may shift or change position due to the position of the spine. With these technologies in place, surgeons can now see the exact placement of pinched nerves, bulging discs and any other condition with crystal clear clarity and in real time video. Also, because of the advance pre-surgical diagnostics there is no need for unnecessary cutting or exploration; only the affected area is operated on.
If you feel you have had Failed Back Surgery or are considering back surgery, please contact NJSR for a free MRI Review.