Patients with the post-neurectomy syndrome often have a long medical odyssey behind them. After an operation, a tolerable back or leg pain turns into unbearable pain.

Post-nuclear syndrome:
Pain despite spinal surgery (Failed back surgery syndrome)

The failure of an operation can be attributed to incomplete removal of the source of pain, the emergence of new pain sources, or to pain memory.

What is the Post-Nuclear Syndrome?

In the case of post-spinal fusion syndrome, pain in the spine or along the nerve pathways increases after a back surgery, and this can become significantly more severe over time. This phenomenon is also referred to as Failed-Back-Surgery Syndrome (FBSS) or Post-Spinal Fusion Syndrome (PNS-Syndrome). The frequency is striking: around 10 % of the patients with disc surgery suffer from it, but patients after spinal canal stenosis or spinal tumor surgeries can also be affected. The accompanying symptoms often include sleep disorders and depression, up to addiction disorders.

The failure of an operation can be due to incomplete removal of the source of pain. Another reason is the emergence of a new source of pain, for example due to scarring, instability, or a nerve injury. In addition, pain memory can play a role: a reduced threshold of pain perception caused by persistent symptoms can lead to a high subjective experience of pain even with minimal pain impulses.

Failed back surgery syndrome: New approaches in pain therapy

The first priority is the attempt to achieve relief through conservative procedures. Often, a combination of medications, physiotherapy, and relaxation techniques is effective as part of a multimodal pain therapy.

Only when further treatment is needed does neuromodulation provide a guideline-based form of therapy that can also lead to relief after years of pain.

Neuromodulation acts directly at the source of the pain: By reducing the transmission of pain impulses at the level of the pain pathways in the spinal cord, significant pain reduction can be achieved. Areas of application include complaints in the lumbar region, such as the thoracic and cervical spine. The method is also successfully applied in post-operative nerve pain in the arms and legs. In around 50 % of the patients, relief occurs, with 82 %.70 % of the treated patients experiencing a reduction in pain. Here you can learn more about neuromodulation.

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Post-nuclear syndrome: Pain despite spinal surgery (Failed back surgery syndrome)

Post-nuclear syndrome:
Pain despite spinal surgery (Failed back surgery syndrome)