If you have back surgery, your expectation after you have healed from the operation would most likely be to feel relief from the symptoms that led you to have the surgery, namely back or leg pain. Yet, the occurrence of pain after back surgery is not uncommon, and in the mid-20th century it was given a name: post laminectomy disorder, or as it is generally known, failed back syndrome.
The Basics
Post laminectomy disorder is currently defined as chronic back pain-which may or may not be accompanied by leg pain-following one or more back surgeries, and which can become more problematic due to the patient's adapted behavior, states the Sonoran Spine Center. This disorder can appear as a result of any conventional back and neck surgery, such as spinal fusion, artificial disc replacements, and open back and neck surgery.
Symptoms
The pain a patient with post laminectomy disorder experiences can vary depending on the surgery and the initial condition. The pain may range from modest to piercing, and it may only be felt in one area of the back, or it may run down to the legs. The patient may experience the pain in a different area of the spine than the one that was operated, and spasms as well as limited joint mobility may be present.
Causes
There are a number of possible causes for this disorder, and they can be separated into three categories, according to the Sonoran Spine Center. It could be a preoperative factor involving the physician, which would be an incorrect diagnosis or surgery recommendation for a patient who is not a good candidate. It may be a factor taking place during the surgery, such as a failure to entirely decompress pinched or compressed nerves. The cause could be due to factors after the surgery, such as infections, unsuccessful spine fusion, disc herniations, and scar tissue formation.
Prevalence
The incidence of this disorder is linked to the patient's original ailment, the type of surgery, the patient's general mental and physical state during and after the surgery, and any other underlying health problems. The statistics the Sonoran Spine Center presents include a 5 to 10 percent probability after a lumbar discectomy, and a 5 to 50 percent probability after a spinal fusion.
Treatment
Treatment varies depending on the cause. If ongoing compression or disc re-herniation is present, a corrective operation is usually successful, but for many diagnoses an additional surgery is not recommended, due to the fact that chances of success distinctly decrease with each progressive operation, notes the Cleveland Clinic. Therefore, in many cases medication such as anti-seizure and tricyclic antidepressants may be used. Another available treatment is epidural spinal cord stimulation, where electricity is delivered directly to the spine to reduce pain.
