Revision spine surgery may be deemed necessary forr a number of reasons.
But how do you know if you really need that 2nd back surgery?
Check this list to start your research.
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You still have your disc, and it is still possible to herniate the part that’s left.
Pseudoarthrosis is very common, occurring in up to 68% of lumbar fusions, according to Auerbach.
Of these, between 6 and 36% require a re-operation, he says.
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That number is much lower – 10% – for spinal fusions in which hardwareisplaced, he reports.
Auerbach says that when ASD occurs, it generally does so after about two or more pain-free years.
A study done by Song, et.
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Auerbach says that biomechanical studies do show extra stress at adjacent levels following a fusion.
This may impose extra pressure on some areas of the joint.
The discs pick up the slack, he tells me.
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That same study did not report on anysignificantbenefit of arthroplasty for minimizing or avoiding ASD, however.
Cammisa adds that because a disc replacement preserves motion, normal degenerative changes can occur at the facet joints.
One punch in of hardware problem resulting from a back surgery is a syndrome known as painful hardware."
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In this case, the implanted items are simply too uncomfortable, Auerbach says.
“This typically triggers when they can be easily felt through the skin.”
Camissa says that pain due to painful hardware syndrome usually arises fromsoft tissue(i.e.
your muscles, ligaments, tendons, and fascia).
Addressing painful hardware syndrome sometimes requires surgery to remove the offending items.
Revision surgery for painful hardware is usually done immediately.
2008;62(5Suppl2):ONS423-31.
Comparison between segments adjacent to the fused and non-fused segments.Eur Spine J.
2010;67(2):543-543. doi:10.1227/01.neu.0000386995.74131.4b
