Any tips for Failed Back Surgery Syndrome?

Posted by phxratt1 @phxratt1, Jun 3 10:09am

Hi, I've had 2 lumbar microdiscectomies and an L4-5 fusion, and still deal with chronic pain, which I now think is FBSS. Does anyone else deal with this, and has anything helped?

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@elizadolittle

DON'T Give up. Get mad! I agree with the walking. There are times I start out in absolute pain. By the time I get back, I'm painfree.
I can't believe your neighbour!! Is he tired of you complaining? Complaining is good. I know I feel better after complaining.

This past week, after my third accupuncture/lazar treatment, I've done more gardening back to back in almost 4 years.

Fool the b...s and get well. BTW, I'm almost 87! I plan to live to at least 103 and beat the record of our Hon. Rotarian member. I've got too many things to do.

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I’m overwhelmed and very depressed! I’ve run my race .

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@heisenberg34

It's interesting how many people seem to have had spinal fusion with no reduction in pain. And many complain of even more pain. I had fusion of L5-S1 in 2017 for spondylolisthesis. No improvement in pain. Looking back, I think that I would not have the surgery again, given the chance.

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Do you have neuropathy in your feet?

spondylolisthesis and fractures L5 failed fusion, foot and low back pain. No shoes, no socks, and careful exercise required to function. Surgery stopped the progression of nerve damage from the unstable fractures.

Less pain since fusion, but still a big problem. Nerve damage heals for a year, then you are stuck.

I have over 5 years with a Boston Sci stim.

Major adjustments to your programming. It made a huge difference with mine. I would rate each program and decide to discard about half and try new ones. The tech would adjust based on what I felt. Made a huge difference on my feet and stopped the rib cage spasms for the most part. Also improved the low back issues. The feet were the target, programming and positioning rule!

Frequency (higher) was the biggest and most important change.

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@phxratt1

All 3 were done by Dr. Taro Kaibara, a neurosurgeon at Barrow Neurological Institute.

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Barrow is a very well respected medical institution. But like others have said it never hurts to have another pair of eyes looking at your MRI and coming up with treatments.
I am fused L4-S1, also started with microdiscectomies/laminectomies at each disk herniation. I did try conservative treatments prior to surgery but once the nerve was being impinged so much that it caused muscle weakness and foot drop, I quickly moved on to surgery. My surgeon did tell me though that back surgery often doesn’t relieve back pain but relieves the impingement so nerve issues in the buttocks and down the leg should get better. All of us are different and depending on the degree of your stenosis or if you have scoliosis, like I do, it makes recovery different.
For pain relief post surgery I did use ice often, took gabapentin, walked as much as I could, followed the no BLT rule (bending, lifting and twisting), and saw a PT who used laser, ultrasound, massage, broke up scar tissue, dry needles and various core strengthening exercises. I later tried acupuncture, steroid injections, heating pad, etc… I prefer not to be on pain meds so just used Aleve when pain was great. My follow up MRI showed my fusion was set, so I chose to have my hardware surgically removed after a year. That provided some relief of the pain running down my leg. I also had my hips MRI’d where I learned I had a complete lumbar tear on one side and partial on the other. That pain was mostly more groin associated but made walking harder. After having that surgically taken care of, I refocused on my spine and the continuing sciatica. I ultimately went with having a Boston Scientific spinal cord stimulator implanted. For me that has been a game changer. I have been able to decrease the amount of gabapentin significantly. I still use ice occasionally for my back pain - especially if I overdo it on activities. I often use a heating pad in the am and pm and continue my PT stretches and exercise (in the pool if possible).
I think the name failed back surgery is interesting because I may still have pain but it did not fail in providing me stability nor the ability to move my foot and regain muscle strength.
Hope this helps you on your health journey.

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