Failed back surgery syndrome

[toddm67]

I have a friend that is suffering from FBSS. She had an synthetic implant two years ago. She lives with chronic pain on a daily basis. She is now considering another operation because she lives in misery and she is almost to her breaking point with this pain. From what I've researched and everyone's circumstances are different, a non traditional approach might be the way to go for her at this point. Besides acupuncture what other non traditional treatment  options are available for a person suffering from chronic pain due to FBSS? I believe I would have to try the non traditional treatments and surgery at this point  would be an absolute last resort. Personal experience from anyone suffering with chronic back pain is most welcome along with any advice from professionals. Thank  you so much. Todd.

[braveheart2]

Although I do not have FBSS, I did have a severe lumbar spine injury 2 years ago with several torn discs, damaged facet joints, and an L5 radiculopathy -- I am a health professional, and also was at my breaking point trying to care for my own patients when I had so much more pain than they did. Tried facet injections, epidural injections, and radiofrequency ablation surgery on 3 spinal levels. I began weekly acupuncture in desperation 6 months ago in a last-ditch attempt to remove the sharp stabbing pain that occurred hundreds of times each day ... I began to feel a change by the 5th visit, and the sharp pains were GONE by 12th visit.

My acupuncturist has, among other things, been doing periosteal needling with electrical stimulation at the site of my lumbar injury at four points pertinent to my injury at the facet joints and along the iliac crest, and it feels like she is rewiring my circuits somehow ... it has been very, very successful, and is giving me my life back. I do still have some aching and painful pressure, but the knife is gone from my back and I am truly grateful.

I advise your friend to give acupuncture a try! She has nothing to lose, and everything to gain ... acupuncture has turned my natural skepticism into belief.

Good luck!

[Zak_Han]

Zak acupuncture theory: Soft tissue inflammation play main role in FBSS,zak acupuncture is best solution for FBSS.

Discuss:
The reality is that most back pain originates in damaged soft tissue, not really in the spine,some doctor believes that a large percent of all spinal surgeries and injuction are unnecessary.Recent studies show that the failure rate for back surgeries is extremely high (half in some studies),people also notes that most MRIs of the low back are read as abnormal, and that as many as half of people with herniated disks have no back pain, while as many as 70 % of those with degenerated lumbar disks have no pain.Zak believes that sharing this new approaches to the evaluation and treatment of soft tissue could lead to more effective treatments for the majority of back pain patients.Scar tissue is a way overrated cause of pain, and does not need to be removed. It does not cause pain in and of itself, although it can tether the nerve root and cause pain with motion. If the surgery did not work, then patient may need a more accurate diagnosis as to what is the cause of the pain.

[Monica B Kaderali, MS, LAc]

Most acupuncturists have at least one patient at any given time who has undergone back surgery,carpal tunnel surgery, or another "corrective" surgery that has not helped their condition but has instead made it worse.  However, I am confident the surgeon would not have operated unless she felt that it would help, so it is a bad situation for everybody involved.  That being said, acupuncture is great for pain, regardless of origin.  I would wholeheartedly recommend acupuncture for your friend.  She should get some relief within several treatments, and if not, like the surgery, acupuncture may not be right for her.

On a side note, I've had several patients who were reacting to the synthetic implant in the body, not the surgery per say.  In one case, she had an allergy to titanium.  An orthopedic surgeon would be able to address that concern, as this is not an uncommon phenomenon.