Diagnostics, Therapeutics & Surgery

A small certain percentage of patients that undergo back surgery / spine surgery; may continue to have chronic back pain and/or lower extremity pain following surgery, that is referred to as failed back syndrome.   This is not an actual syndrome or medical diagnosis – but more a description of the symptoms.  The technical term for this is  post-laminectomy syndrome.

When medical management and other therapies are ineffective, one minimally invasive interventional pain management treatment for patients if they are suffering from both back pain and lower extremity pain is to implant a spinal cord stimulator.  A spinal cord stimulator, also called a neurostimulator uses a tiny programmable generator and electrical leads/ electrodes placed underneath the skin.  The electrodes are placed in the spinal canal, adjacent to the spinal cord.  (Photo courtesy of Medtronic, Inc.)

To learn more, read this recent press release.  This press release profiles a patient who had chronic back and lower extremity pain following back surgery.  Now she enjoys ballroom dancing!