Post Laminectomy Syndrome
A laminectomy is a back surgery that reduces pressure on the nerves in the spinal cord by removing a part of a vertebra. Post laminectomy syndrome is a condition in which the patient continues to feel pain after undergoing a correctional laminectomy or another form of back surgery. The causes of persistent pain may not be easily known—it may be that the surgery was unsuccessful in decompressing the nerve, the cause of the original back pain was not addressed, there was previously unforeseen nerve damage, the patient has a recurring disc herniation, or the spinal fusion failed.
How Can It Be Treated?
Treatment of post-laminectomy syndrome generally starts with conservative measures including physical therapy and medication management. Patients may be referred back to the surgeon who performed the back surgery to make sure any implants put in during the surgery look appropriate. If the patient continues to have pain, epidural steroid injections, radiofrequency ablation, and spinal cord stimulation may be viable treatment options.