Failed Back Syndrome: Travel to India and get New Hope

Failed Back Syndrome treatment in India with GetWelGo. Access advanced care, expert surgeons & affordable solutions. New hope awaits international patients.

Failed Back Syndrome: Travel to India and get New Hope

  • Category

    Orthopedic

  • Published By

    GetWellGo Team

  • Updated on

    05-Sep-2025

Failed Back Syndrome

Failed Back Syndrome (or Failed Back Surgery Syndrome): a description of chronic or recurrent pains following spinal surgery, typically a laminectomy, discectomy, or spinal fusion. It is not a disease, but is rather a group of symptoms persisting even after surgery.

Overview

  • Happens when the desired outcome of spine surgery is pain relief rather than being attained.
  • Can contribute to chronic back pain, leg pain or both.
  • May develop shortly after operation or even months or years.

Failed Back Syndrome causes

The following is a decisive list of the etiology of Failed Back Syndrome (FBS/FBSS):

Surgery-related causes

  • Stagnant disc substance - partial elimination of herniated disc.
  • Recurrent disc herniation - disc re-herniates in the same location.
  • Scar tissue (epidural fibrosis) - post-operative scar which is pressing nerve roots.
  • Nerve injury in operation - unintentional injury to nerve roots.
  • Incorrect level surgery - surgery done on a wrong level of the spine.
  • Instrumentation failure - broken screws, rods or cages following spinal fusion.

Spine-related causes

  • Spinal instability - too much movement at level after surgery.
  • Adjacent segment degeneration - wear and tear above or below fused region.
  • Foraminal stenosis - constriction of untreated or partially treated nerve routes.
  • Pseudoarthrosis- loss of fusion subsequent to spinal fusion surgery.

Patient-related causes

  • Nerve damage before surgery- nerve is already permanently damaged.
  • Bad habits: diabetes, osteoporosis, slowing arthritis, etc.
  • Psychological causes - depression, anxiety, inadequate coping styles that increase pain.
  • Obesity, smoking, bad fitness - make healing and results worse.

Diagnostic/Selection causes

  • Misdiagnosis preoperative - pain was not caused by surgery (e.g. myofascial pain, fibromyalgia, hip arthritis).
  • Excessive surgery -surgery when conservative therapy would have been more appropriate.
  • Inadequate education of patient - patient assumes that he/she will be pain-free after surgery and that surgery will treat chronic back pain rather than leg pain.

Failed Back Syndrome symptoms

The following is a systematized list of the symptoms of Failed Back Syndrome (FBS/FBSS):

Primary Symptoms

  • Persistent back pain = pain that does not go away even after surgery.
  • Radiating pain of legs (sciatica-like) → burning, shooting pain down one or both legs.
  • The leg, foot, or buttock areas become numb, or tingling.
  • Lower limb muscle weakness.
  • The spine is stiff and less flexible.

Associated Symptoms

  • Having problems with standing up or walking.
  • Pain-related sleep disturbances.
  • Less mobility and no capacity to do the daily activities.
  • Relies on pain drugs to relieve pain.

Chronic/Psychological Symptoms

  • Depression or anxiety with persistent pain.
  • Failure to be treated, frustration, emotional distress.
  • Exhaustion caused by both chronic pain and insomnia.

Failed Back Syndrome diagnosis

Below is a step-by-step description of Failed Back Syndrome (FBS/FBSS) diagnosis:

Clinical Evaluation

Medical history:

  • Spine surgery performed (discectomy, laminectomy, fusion, etc.)
  • Postoperative pain- improved, worsened, or remained the same.
  • Time post-operative and the beginning of new pain.
  • Symptom examination: back pain, pain in the legs, numbness, weakness, functional impairment.
  • Physical assessment: neurological (strength, reflexes, sensation), gait, posture and mobility.

Imaging Tests

X-rays

  • Spinal positioning, fusion success, hardware position.

MRI (with/without contrast) scan.

  • Best in identifying the presence of scar tissue (epidural fibrosis), herniation of discs recurrently, compression of nerves.

CT scan

  • Close bone imaging, useful in the diagnosis of fusion, hardware problems, or stenosis.

CT myelography

  • Can demonstrate nerve root compression when MRI is not possible (metal implants).

Functional/Diagnostic Tests

EMG and NCS

  • Determine chronic or permanent nerve damage.

Diagnostic injections/nerve blocks.

  • Assist in the localization of the focal source of pain (facet joint, nerve root, sacroiliac joint).

Discography (rarely used now)

  • Painful disc tests which involve injecting dye are only taken in exceptional cases.

Psychological Evaluation

  • Depression, anxiety, or chronic pain syndrome screening - because psychological variables may contribute to pain perception and results.

Failed Back Syndrome treatment

The following is a list of the Best treatment for Failed Back Syndrome:

Non-Surgical / Conservative Management

(Most patients use the first-line approach)

Medications

  • NSAIDs (ibuprofen, diclofenac) - decreases inflammation and pain.
  • Neuropathic agents of pain (gabapentin, pregabalin, duloxetine, amitriptyline).
  • Muscle relaxants for spasms.
  • Opioids - reserved, when other treatment options are not effective.

Physical Therapy/Rehab

  • Strengthening, stretching and posture training.
  • Hydrotherapy, TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation).
  • Progressive restoration of activity to avoid deconditioning.

Psychological Therapy

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to manage chronic pain.
  • Mindfulness, stress reduction and pain coping strategies.

Lifestyle Modifications

  • Weight management.
  • Smoking withdrawal (enhances recovery).
  • Ergonomic modifications in routine.

Interventional Pain Therapy

(When patients are not responding to therapy/medications)

  • Epidural steroid injection → suppress inflammation of nerve roots.
  • Facet joint/medial branch blocks - when it is a facet joint problem.
  • Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) = burns pain-carrying nerves in facet joints.
  • Adhesiolysis (epidural lysis of adhesions) → scar tissue that compresses nerves is broken down.

Neuromodulation Techniques

(Also effective in chronic, refractory pain)

Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS)

  • Implants put under the skin.
  • Intercepts the electrical signals transmitted to the brain to block the transmission of pain.
  • Proven to be more successful than re-surgery in most FBSSs.

Intravenous paste injection (pain pump)

  • The pain medication is sprayed to spinal fluid through implanted pump.

Surgical (Last Resort)

(Unless a fixable structural factor is found)

  • Revision discectomy or decompression → recurring disc herniation or stenosis.
  • Revision of the spinal fusion → in case of instability or pseudoarthrosis (unsuccessful fusion).
  • Hardware change/replacement → screws, rods, cages have broken.

Multidisciplinary Pain Programs

  • Integration of pain specialists, physiotherapists and psychologists.
  • Prioritize on functional improvement and quality of life, and not pain removal.

Failed Back Syndrome treatment in India with GetWellGo

GetWellGo is regarded as a leading supplier of healthcare services. We help our foreign clients choose the best treatment locations that suit their needs both financially and medically.

We offer:

  • Complete transparency
  • Fair costs.
  • 24 hour availability.
  • Medical E-visas
  • Online consultation from recognized Indian experts.
  • Assistance in selecting India's top hospitals for Failed Back Syndrome treatment.
  • Expert spinal surgeon with a strong track record of success
  • Assistance during and after the course of treatment.
  • Language Support
  • Travel and Accommodation Services
  • Case manager assigned to every patient to provide seamless support in and out of the hospital like appointment booking
  • Local SIM Cards
  • Currency Exchange
  • Arranging Patient’s local food

 

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