Various types of surgeries, such as a spinal fusion, laminectomy, or decompression surgery are used to correct back problems. Oftentimes such procedures are used as a last resort, after a patient has failed to respond to more conservative pain management or treatment options.
Why does back pain persist after surgery?
Following a spine surgery, can leave your back can feel sore and tender during the recovery period. This usually lasts up to 12 weeks. The reason why your back feels sore immediately after surgery is due to the invasive nature of the procedure, which your body interprets as trauma.
In many cases, this pain persists for longer periods of time and can sometimes last indefinitely, leading to chronic pain and something called failed back surgery syndrome. This term refers to pain that either lasts much longer than the expected or returns a while later after the procedure. It does not mean that the surgery has been unsuccessful, but rather that it failed to correct the problem that was meant to be addressed.
In other words, if this pain persists for a long period of time, it may be because the surgery did not fix the cause of the pain, or worse still, in rare cases complications occurred either during the procedure itself or the recovery period.
Potential complications of surgical procedures
Apart from the chance of not fixing the core issue and source of the pain, any type of surgery, but especially spinal surgery, carries along a series of other potential risks. Some examples include:
- Blood clots can form both during and after the procedure.
- Infections at the level of the spine
- Nerve damage can occur post-surgery, when scar tissue tends to form around spinal nerve roots. This is more commonly referred to as epidural fibrosis. This can cause numbness, weakness and tingling.
- Spinal cord injury, which although rare, is a serious complication that can potentially lead to paralysis.
- Most notably, many people tend to experience a continuation of their symptoms, such as persistent back pain, neck pain or even leg pain.
This list of risks is not exhausting and there are many other possible risks associated with spine surgery.
Is there something else to do to fix a bad back after surgery?
Regardless of the type of surgery you have had, if you experience continued pain long after the procedure, there are still ways to manage or even treat the pain.
Following the surgical procedure, spinal rehabilitation through physical therapy is recommended to facilitate good recovery and pain relief. This may also be useful further down the line if you suffer from persistent pain.
During the recovery period you may also be given pain medication to manage any pain and discomfort you may be feeling as your spine is healing.
However, if your pain persists for more than a few months, or returns after a few months, or even years, you may wish to engage in a form of non-invasive spinal decompression therapy, which can be performed with the help of the Backrack Spinal Decompression Device.
The Backrack is an orthopaedic tool that is easy to use and allows you to control the location, length, and intensity of your treatment in order to accommodate to your own levels of comfort.
What Is the Spinal Backrack?
Can I use the Backrack after spinal surgery?
The Backrack Spinal Decompression Device can be used by people who have undergone spinal surgery, but only after 3 months or more have passed since the procedure has been finished.
Disclaimer: this article is for informational and educational purposes only. If you suffer from any complications following a spinal surgery, please consult your doctor.
Author: Spinal Backrack
