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Common Causes of Failed Back Surgery and What You Can Do About It

Common Causes of Failed Back Surgery and What You Can Do About It

You’ve suffered from chronic back pain for some time and finally decided to have surgery. However, back surgery isn’t always successful. Back surgery has a success rate no higher than 95%, and other risk factors can increase your odds of post-surgery pain.

If you’re still coping with chronic back pain after failed back surgery, get in touch with our team at Neuropathy and Pain Centers of Texas, located in Fort Worth, Arlington, Wichita Falls, and Waco, Texas. 

Dr. Jason Kouri and Dr. Aminidhan Thakkar can determine the reason for your failed back surgery and recommend further pain management interventions to improve your condition.

Why didn’t back surgery work?

The first question is: What went wrong with your previous back surgery? The issue could be with the technical execution of your surgery or could relate to your health and condition. The appropriate next steps depend on why your back surgery failed.

Back surgery can fail if a piece of bone remains near your nerves, creating ongoing pain. You might also sustain nerve damage, known as arachnoiditis. Scar tissue formation can also be a problem when it comes to healing pain-free from back surgery.

Smoking increases your risk of failed back surgery. Abnormal motions or spinal instability post-surgery complicate the healing process, especially if your rehabilitation after spine surgery is incomplete, improper, or inadequate.

If you’re dealing with recurrent disc herniation, you may need additional surgeries and procedures to stabilize your spine and resolve your chronic pain. You might also be missing fragments of spinal discs post-surgery and need stabilization.

Learning more about your condition

The Neuropathy and Pain Centers of Texas team uses various diagnostic tools and approaches to learn more about your condition and determine the best path forward. We start with a thorough review of your medical history and surgical records, followed by a comprehensive physical exam.

X-ray imaging informs us about the condition of your back and spine. We may also recommend other imaging tests, including nerve conduction studies, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or computerized tomography (CT) scans.

Even after failed back surgery, you still have several treatment options to consider. We may recommend additional surgeries, pain management strategies like medication or injections, or a revised rehabilitation plan.

To find out more about what to do after failed back surgery, get in touch with us at Neuropathy and Pain Centers of Texas today. Schedule your initial consultation appointment online or over the phone now.

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