Post-Laminectomy Syndrome
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Post-Laminectomy Syndrome is persistent often severe back pain that occurs following spinal surgery.
There are as many as half a million spinal surgeries which are performed in the United States every year. Of those, about 20 percent will suffer ongoing back pain after their surgical procedure. This back pain is known as Post-Laminectomy Syndrome, and causes chronic pain and, in some cases, disability. Many of those who suffer from Post-Laminectomy Syndrome are unable to work, therefore must deal with financial pressures as well as pain.
Causes of Post-Laminectomy Syndrome
The pain which sometimes follows spinal surgery can be from one of the following causes:
- Spinal instability
- Facet joint problems
- Diabetes
- Surgical intervention at the wrong spinal level
- Autoimmune disorders
- Peripheral vascular disease
- Nerve root compression
- Returning disc herniation
- Incomplete removal of the lamina
- Inflammation within the spinal cord’s protective layers
- Depression and anxiety, which can interfere with spinal surgery recovery
- Smoking
- Scar tissue build-up
- Joint hypermobility
Symptoms of Post-Laminectomy Syndrome and Diagnosis of PLS
The level of pain those with Post-Laminectomy Syndrome may experience will typically correlate to the underlying pathology. Neuropathic pain, caused by primary injury to the nervous system is one type of pain, while radicular pain—a shooting pain—is another. Neuropathic and radicular pain can result in harmful changes to the body’s pain receptors. Many of those who suffer from Post-Laminectomy Syndrome, report severe pain, which interferes with every aspect of their life. As with most types of pain, diagnosis is dependent on accurate patient reporting, as well as whether the patient has undergone spinal surgery. X-rays, MRIs, electromyography and nerve conduction studies may all be used to discover the exact cause of pain.
Treating Post-Laminectomy Syndrome
The experienced interventional pain management specialists at Seattle Pain will evaluate your Post-Laminectomy Syndrome symptoms, then develop a pain treatment program that will help you return to your normal, everyday life. Whether we use traditional or non-traditional treatments, our goal is to alleviate your pain, helping you regain your quality of life. Your treatment regimen may include one or more of the following:
- Spinal cord stimulation, using electrodes placed in the epidural space of the spinal cord, then the application of an electric current
- Epidural steroid injections
- Radiofrequency ablation
Are you suffering from severe back pain after a spinal surgery?
Contact Our Seattle Interventional Pain Management Specialists
At Seattle Pain, our primary goal is to relieve your pain and improve your quality of life. We believe in treating the whole patient – and not just the injury. You do not have to live in pain. Call us today.
