What Happens if Spine Surgery Fails
Spinal surgeons are good at what they do. However, because every patient is different and mistakes can be made, sometimes back surgery does not always succeed. In some cases, the surgery may be a success in the time immediately following the surgery, but old problems return or new problems develop afterward. When this happens, it is called failed back surgery syndrome. This issue often requires a reevaluation of the patient to determine what the right course of action should be.
Diagnosis
After a patient has spinal surgery, it is likely that he will have several follow-up appointments with the surgeon and possibly other doctors to gauge the success of the surgery. If the patient feels that something is off, it is important to bring it up to the surgeon as soon as possible. This will help the surgeon decide if the patient is suffering from failed back surgery syndrome or if the problem was never resolved in the first place. Once the surgeon decides what is going on, he must then decide which action to take.
Treatment
The treatment for failed back surgery syndrome varies greatly depending on the patient. For some patients, a second surgery may be required to resolve the issue. However, surgery is not always the right answer. Depending on the underlying cause for the new problem, For some patients, therapy may work to resolve the pain they are experiencing. The surgeon may recommend physical therapy as a first step to see if that resolves the issue before recommending surgery.
Agreeing to go through back surgery at a laser spine institute is a big decision on its own. If the surgery ends in a failure, especially after initial success, it can be disappointing to the patient. Failed back surgery syndrome can often be fixed with the help of a good surgeon, though.