Post laminectomy syndrome, also called failed back syndrome, is a continuous and chronic pain that can develop after certain types of back surgery.
Post Laminectomy Syndrome Overview – What is Post Laminectomy Syndrome?
Spine surgeons perform back surgery to reduce or eliminate chronic back or leg pain due to spinal nerve compression. Should surgery fail to achieve all of its desired outcomes, the result is known as Post-Laminectomy Syndrome (sometimes called Failed Back Syndrome). If you are among those who continue to suffer from back and or leg pain after surgery, you know the frustration and despair this can cause. What you may not know is that there is hope. When accurately diagnosed, most post-surgical pain can be managed effectively. The pain specialists at Capitol Spine & Pain Centers are skilled in determining the true source of your pain and providing the most effective non-surgical approaches available.
Understanding post-surgical pain
About 500,000 spine surgeries are performed in the U.S. each year and yet, surgery is not always successful for everyone. In fact, up to 20 percent of Americans who undergo spine surgery each year still have some degree of persistent back or leg pain afterwards. When spine surgery does not achieve the results desired by you and your physician, this condition is often referred to as Post-Laminectomy Syndrome.
Post laminectomy syndrome, also called failed back syndrome, is a continuous and chronic pain that can develop after certain types of back surgery.
Causes
A laminectomy is a surgical procedure where one or more lamina, a section of bone on the rear of the vertebra, are removed to relieve pressure on the spinal cord. Painful scar tissue can form at the surgery site, or joints in the back may become irritated and inflamed.
Symptoms
Symptoms can include dull and achy pain inthe back, pain that radiates into the hips, buttocks, and thighs, or sharp pain in the back and legs.
Treatment
Post laminectomy syndrome can be treated with medications, physical therapy, electrical nerve stimulation, spinal injections, or, in severe cases, another surgery.