Failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS) is common. Left untreated, its impact can be life-altering, impacting not just your body but your mental health, interpersonal capabilities, and financial standing. Decompression therapy helps treat FBSS so that it does not persist, threatening your ongoing quality of life.
Rise in back pain leads to rise in back surgery
Back pain has been ascending in recent years. From 2000 to 2007, there was a 64% increase in men and women reporting chronic back pain in the United States, a rise from 7.8 million to 12.8 million adults.
As back pain has become more prevalent, more people have been getting back surgeries; for example, there was a 170.9% increase in primary lumbar fusion operations between 1998 and 2008.
Sadly, back surgery does not always achieve the intended results. When a back surgery does not deliver the relief and restoration of function intended, the patient has a condition called failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS).
What is FBSS, exactly?
Many patients who seek spinal decompression are suffering from failed back surgery syndrome. FBSS (more technically called neuropathic pain after spinal surgery) occurs when patients suffer from long-time, chronic back pain, possibly involving radicular or referred pain, that did not respond to one or more surgeries.
The idea behind a surgery for back pain is to correct the problem that underlies the pain. FBSS often occurs because the injury that the operation addressed is not actually the source of the pain.
How nonsurgical decompression helps FBSS
Spinal decompression therapy is often effective in treating FBSS because it approaches treatment from a completely different angle – removing pressure so that the body is better able to get access to nutrients.
To relieve pressure within the spine, this therapy uses motorized traction to deliver a controlled stretching and loosening of the spine. By alternating stretching and relaxing in this manner, the pressure within the discs (shock absorbers between the vertebrae) subsides (called negative intradiscal pressure).
Nonsurgical decompression can lead to the retraction of disk bulging or herniation, removing the force on the spine's nerves and other components. With less pressure in the area, the disks are better able to receive circulation of nutrient-dense fluids, oxygen, and water – critical to the body's ability to naturally heal.
Getting help
Are you experiencing the incredible pain and frustration of FBSS? Spinal decompression can get you back your quality of life. At Envista Medical, we combine state-of-the-art spinal decompression treatments and rehabilitation with a personal interest in the health goals of our patients.