Back surgery can do amazing things for people by eliminating pain and restoring mobility, but unfortunately, patients are deeply disappointed each year when their back surgery isn’t successful and pain and mobility problems return either immediately after surgery or over time.
This is known as failed back surgery syndrome, or FBSS, and research shows that more complex procedures have a higher rate of failure than simpler ones. For example, lumbar spinal fusions have a failure rate of about 30-46%, while patients undergoing the less complex microdiscectomy procedure experience failure from 19-25% of the time.
Dr. Benjamin Cohen is dedicated to helping patients return to pain-free, active lives and provides expert treatment for a wide range of painful spinal conditions, from disc degeneration to spinal stenosis. He’s also highly experienced in performing revision spine surgery if a patient has gone through the trauma of failed back surgery.
If you seek treatment from Dr. Coehn before your surgery to avoid FBSS, he talks with you extensively about your history of pain, the procedure he recommends for you, and more.
When you consider why your pain and movement problems return after back surgery, your first thought might be “surgical error,” but the issue is more complicated. Given that every patient’s spinal condition is unique, it’s helpful to examine the factors that contribute to FBSS in a more detailed way. Often, they are more complicated than they appear.
When Dr. Cohen considers factors that contribute to FBSS, some can be easy to miss if one doesn’t look deeply enough at a patient’s situation.
A combination of factors can impact a patient’s condition and contribute to the return of pain and other problems, post-surgery.
Although surgical errors account for some cases of FBSS, some surgery-related problems precede the procedure. The surgeon may recommend the wrong procedure, or they may perform the correct procedure, but with a flawed plan.
For example, a patient might undergo decompression surgery, but the procedure is done in the wrong place on the spine. Clearly, this won’t achieve the desired outcome. In a broader sense, goals identified before surgery may not always be achieved.
Mental and physical health influence each other, and with FBSS, anxiety, depression, poor coping mechanisms, and other factors contribute to less-than-ideal outcomes after spinal surgery.
Unfortunately, complications after surgery can significantly hinder the success of spinal surgery. These factors include postoperative nerve injury and infection.
Additionally, you may have preexisting degenerative spinal issues like spondylolisthesis (slipped disc), which can lead to problems like nerve compression and spinal stenosis after they undergo surgery.
Lifestyle choices may trigger or exacerbate FBSS. For example, smoking slows wound healing, leads to higher rates of post-surgical infections, and hinders successful fusion. Smoking might also lead to disc herniation recurrence, and smokers generally ambulate less well after surgery.
Obesity is also a risk factor for FBSS complications.
One key to a successful initial back surgery is the relationship you and your surgeon build. Dr. Cohen’s goal is always to nurture relationships with his patients that are centered on trust and transparency.
Through clear communication, he can go over risks for FBSS that we’ve covered here, and more.
Dr. Cohen does all he can to educate you about the procedure he feels is best for you and why he’s recommending it, he helps you prepare so you’re as strong and healthy as possible before the procedure, and he discusses how best to mitigate risks associated with your surgery.
A conversation is also called for about your emotional health. Dr. Cohen is happy to talk to you about counseling and other treatment options if you’re struggling with depression, anxiety, or another mental health condition related to prolonged back pain and movement limitations.
Contact our Garden City office at 516-246-5008 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Cohen to get all your questions answered and prepare for a successful procedure.
