Failed Back Surgery Syndrome

Failed Back Surgery Syndrome

Failed Back Surgery Syndrome (FBSS) is a general term for a situation where a patient continues to experience chronic pain after a spinal surgery that was intended to relieve those symptoms. Patients with FBSS may have pain that is similar to what they had before surgery or pain that is different. Some common causes for FBSS include: incomplete or improper surgery, scar tissue formation, recurrent disc herniation, adjacent segment disease, hardware issues, fusion failure, or even an incorrect diagnosis. FBSS often results from a combination of factors rather than one single cause. Each patient’s situation is unique, which is why careful evaluation is needed if pain persists after surgery.