Spinal fusion surgery: Back Pain Management

Spinal fusion surgery: Back Pain Management 

Experiencing persistent lower back pain after Spinal Fusion surgery, could most likely be due to Failed Back Surgery Syndrome. Your doctor would suggest a reasonable amount of time (from a few weeks to sometimes months) to understand if a surgery has worked in your favour. In most cases the pain gets better with time. 

However, if the pain persists, your treating doctor would be the best person to advise the best course of action. It is essential to understand the pros and cons of fusion surgery at the time of surgical counselling. This helps avoid unexpected outcomes after the surgery. Exercises and stress relieving measures like meditation also have a very important role to play. However, the possibility of additional medical attention or surgical procedures should also be considered. Experiencing relief after the surgery for a few weeks/ months with the pain relapsing or development of new pain is a warning sign of an underlying problem, like infection or implant related problems, eg. screw back out.  

Detailed investigation may also be required to find the exact cause of the pain. After an appropriate time, a detailed investigation and other pain relieving measures like physiotherapy/ exercises/ posture/ lifestyle change might be suggested.  

If no surgically curable/ rectifiable cause is found and if the pain persists, a neurostimulation or a spinal cord stimulator may work for some and help reduce or alleviate pain.