Murahari Advanced Spine Center

Revision Spine Surgery

Revision Spine Surgery

Revision spine surgery is surgery performed in certain patients to correct the problems of earlier spine surgery. Revision spine surgery is indicated in patients with chronic pain, even after surgery. Typically, by 3 months after a surgery has been completed, any lingering pain is gone. When a patient is still reporting chronic pain after this time, revision spine surgery may be considered. The goal of the second surgery is the same as the goal of the first procedure: to reduce or eliminate pain and allow the patient to resume work and other normal activities.

Besides chronic pain, revision spine surgery may be necessary to repair a surgery that was performed incorrectly or at an incorrect site or to correct postsurgical complications.

Other factors indicated for revision spine surgery include:

  • Scar tissue formation around the incision
  • Unsuccessful surgery
  • Surgery at the wrong site
  • Surgery for non-eligible candidates
  • Improper diagnosis
  • Post-surgical complications

Failed back syndrome, or failed back surgery, is a condition used to describe persistent back pain following back surgeries.

The goal of revision spine surgery is to reduce pain and resume normal activities. Revision spine surgery is performed in certain conditions, such as re-herniation of a disc, infection, pseudoarthrosis, hardware failure, non-surgery-related spine degeneration, flat back syndrome, instability, or adjacent segment degeneration.

Revision spine surgery can be performed using a minimally invasive technique where surgery is done by making small incisions. This method causes less damage to the muscles and conjunctive tissue surrounding the spine.

Procedures intended to repair previous interventions include laminotomy, foraminotomy, facet thermal ablation, spinal fusion, and microdisectomy. Rehabilitation after revision surgery includes exercises to harden the weakened muscles in the affected areas.