What went wrong with your back surgery?
What went wrong with your back surgery?
Here is what one group of researchers had to say:
.jpg) "Despite the evident progress in treating vertebral column degenerative diseases, the rate of a so-called "failed back surgery syndrome" associated with pain and disability remains relatively high. However, this term has an imprecise definition and includes several different morbid conditions following spinal surgery, not all of which directly illustrate the efficacy of the applied technology; furthermore, some of them could even be irrelevant."
From the medical journal Pain Physician: Bokov A, Isrelov A, Skorodumov A, Aleynik A, Simonov A, Mlyavykh S.An analysis of reasons for failed back surgery syndrome and partial results after different types of surgical lumbar nerve root decompression. Pain Physician. 2011 Nov-Dec;14(6):545-57.
Study Objective: To evaluate and systematize the reasons for persistent pain syndromes following surgical nerve root decompression.
A Prospective, nonrandomized, cohort study of 138 consecutive patients with radicular pain syndromes, associated with nerve root compression caused by lumbar disc herniation, and resistant to conservative therapy for at least one month. The minimal period of follow-up was 18 months.
Pre-operatively, patients were examined clinically, applying the visual analog scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), discography and computed tomography (CT).
According to the disc herniation morphology and applied type of surgery, all participants were divided into the following groups: for those with disc extrusion or sequester, microdiscectomy was applied (n = 65); for those with disc protrusion, nucleoplasty was applied (n = 46); for those with disc extrusion, nucleoplasty was applied (n = 27).
After surgery, participants were examined clinically and the VAS and ODI were applied. All those with permanent or temporary pain syndromes were examined applying MRI imaging, functional roentgenograms, and, to validate the cause of pain syndromes, different types of blocks were applied (facet joint blocks, paravertebral muscular blocks, transforaminal and caudal epidural blocks).
RESULTS:
Group 1 showed a considerable rate of pain syndromes related to tissue damage during the intervention; the rates of radicular pain caused by epidural scar and myofascial pain were 12.3% and 26.1% respectively.
Facet joint pain was found in 23.1% of the cases.
Group 2 showed a significant rate of facet joint pain (16.9%) despite the minimally invasive intervention.
The specificity of Group 3 was the very high rate of unresolved or recurred nerve root compression (63.0%); in other words, in the majority of cases, the aim of the intervention was not achieved. The results of the applied intervention were considered clinically significant if 50% pain relief on the VAS and a 40% decrease in the ODI were achieved.
"in other words, in the majority of cases, the aim of the intervention was not achieved"
Are there options?
Here are three articles from our website that can help explain Prolotherapy as a surgical alternative
Low back surgery
http://www.caringmedical.com/media_blog/Low_back_surgeries.htm
If low back surgeries are so unsuccessful, why do surgeons continue to perform them? The main reason is because they find abnormalities on MRI scans. Ironically most MRI findings have nothing to do with why the person has pain and this is the reason for most back surgery failures. Read what researchers from the journal SPINE said in this article.
Alternative treatment option for failed back surgery syndrome
http://www.caringmedical.com/media_blog/Alternative_treatment_option_for_failed_back_surgery_syndrome.htm
At Caring Medical, we see a lot of patients after they have had back surgery and still have pain. They have what is called failed back surgery syndrome. (FBSS) There are several possible scenarios where one may still have pain after back surgery. For instance, a surgeon may remove part of a bony vertebra as in a laminectomy if he/she thinks it is pressing on a nerve. This may solve the original problem but the body “fills in” the removed bone with scar and other tissues which of course is not as strong as bone. This leaves an area of weakness that may be the source of future pain, especially if it is an area that receives a lot stress. Repetitive bending and twisting puts a lot of stress on the low back, for example.
Back Surgery often fails
http://www.caringmedical.com/media_blog/Back__Surgery_often_fails.htm
In our reading of online health news, we came across this article from the Washington AP. The first line of the article was "Why did they cut you?" That is obviously a good question? Often the patients do not know the answer - because truthfully, the answer is "because my doctor said I should do it."
Many people are finding out that back surgery is often unsuccessful in relieving their back pain. Why? Because the true cause of the back pain was not addressed by the surgery. The discectomies, fusions, and other surgeries do not address the instability that is occuring in the spine that is causing the injury in the first place. Prolotherapy stimulates the body to heal these injured unstable areas, thus strengthening the weakened areas. You cannot just treat MRI findings which often provide false positive results. IE a "finding on MRI" is likely not the cause of your pain.
If you are looking for an alternative to back surgery or have already tried back surgery and are left with pain, consider Prolotherapy at Caring Medical as a viable, succesful alternative. Give us a call at 708-848-7789 or email scheduling@caringmedical.com.
Leave a Comment
Recent Blog Articles:
Complete Blog List
|
