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Failed Back Surgery Syndrome
Peak Spine & Sports Medicine treats persistent pain after spine surgery with opioid-free pain care in Marlton and Collingswood, NJ. Call (833) 377-7325.

Failed Back Surgery Syndrome in Marlton and Collingswood, NJ

Failed Back Surgery Syndrome, also called FBSS, describes persistent or recurrent pain after spine surgery. The name can sound discouraging, but it does not always mean the surgery was done incorrectly. In many cases, ongoing pain comes from a complex mix of nerve irritation, scar tissue, spinal arthritis, disc problems, SI joint pain, muscle guarding, adjacent segment changes, or another pain source that needs to be carefully identified.

At Peak Spine & Sports Medicine, we help patients with pain after spine surgery understand what may still be causing their symptoms and which non-opioid treatment options may help them move forward. Our approach revolves around opioid-free, interventional pain care with a strong focus on education, outcomes, and restored quality of life.

Patients are cared for by Dr. Milind Patel, Dr. Jill Kalariya, Brian Brown, PA, and our interventional pain management team through a concierge, white-glove model designed to make care feel clear, organized, and personal.

To schedule a Failed Back Surgery Syndrome consultation in Marlton or Collingswood, NJ, call Peak Spine & Sports Medicine at (833) 377-7325 or request an appointment online today. Telehealth consults are available for convenience when appropriate. We proudly serve patients in Marlton, Haddonfield, Collingswood, Cherry Hill, Medford, Moorestown, Mount Laurel, Voorhees, Philadelphia, and surrounding communities.

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What Is Failed Back Surgery Syndrome?

Failed Back Surgery Syndrome is a term used to describe ongoing or returning pain after spine surgery.

The pain may involve the low back, neck, buttocks, hip, leg, foot, shoulder, arm, or hand, depending on the initial surgery and the structures involved. Some patients feel similar pain to what they had before surgery. Others develop a new pain pattern after the procedure.

FBSS may also be called:

  • Post-laminectomy syndrome
  • Persistent spinal pain syndrome
  • Chronic pain after spine surgery
  • Post-surgical spine pain
  • Pain after lumbar surgery
  • Pain after cervical surgery

The phrase “failed back surgery syndrome” can be misleading because it does not identify the actual pain source. A patient may have persistent nerve pain, recurrent disc herniation, scar tissue, facet joint pain, SI joint dysfunction, spinal stenosis, hardware-related irritation, muscle pain, or pain from a different level of the spine.

At Peak Spine & Sports Medicine, the focus is on understanding why pain is continuing rather than relying on a broad label.

Pain after spine surgery can feel different from patient to patient.

Some patients feel deep aching pain in the lower back. Others feel burning, shooting, tingling, numbness, or electric pain that travels into the buttock, hip, leg, foot, shoulder, arm, or hand. Some people feel stiff, weak, unstable, or guarded in their movements.

Symptoms may include:

  • Persistent low back pain
  • Persistent neck pain
  • Pain that travels into the buttocks, hip, leg, or foot
  • Sciatica after spine surgery
  • Burning or electric nerve pain
  • Numbness or tingling
  • Weakness
  • Pain with sitting
  • Pain with standing or walking
  • Pain that worsens with bending, lifting, or twisting
  • Muscle spasms or guarding
  • Stiffness after surgery
  • Pain that travels into the shoulder, arm, hand, or fingers
  • Difficulty returning to work, exercise, travel, or normal routines
  • Difficulty sleeping

Pain can also affect confidence. Patients may worry that movement will cause more damage, that another surgery is the only option, or that no one can explain why they still hurt. A careful evaluation can help separate what is expected after surgery from pain that may need additional treatment.

Pain may continue after spine surgery for many reasons.

Sometimes the initial nerve was irritated for a long time before surgery, and it is still sensitive afterward. Sometimes scar tissue forms around a nerve. In other cases, the first pain source was only one part of the problem, and another structure continues to cause pain.

Possible contributors may include:

  • Persistent nerve irritation
  • Scar tissue around a nerve
  • Recurrent disc herniation
  • Adjacent segment degeneration
  • Facet joint arthritis
  • Sacroiliac joint dysfunction
  • Spinal stenosis
  • Foraminal narrowing
  • Hardware irritation in selected cases
  • Muscle guarding or myofascial pain
  • Instability or nonunion in selected cases
  • Epidural fibrosis
  • Neuropathy
  • Pain from another spinal level
  • Complex Regional Pain Syndrome in selected cases

Sometimes imaging shows a clear source. Other times, symptoms, physical exam, surgical history, prior imaging, and response to injections or nerve blocks are needed to better understand the pain pattern.

Not necessarily.

The term “Failed Back Surgery Syndrome” can sound like the surgery itself failed, but that is not always accurate. Spine pain is complex, and surgery often treats a specific structural problem rather than every possible pain generator.

For example, surgery may decompress a nerve, remove disc material, or stabilize part of the spine. A patient may still have pain afterward if another nerve remains irritated, a different spinal level becomes symptomatic, arthritis progresses, scar tissue forms, or the SI joints, facet joints, or muscles become painful.

This is why Peak Spine & Sports Medicine approaches post-surgical spine pain with a fresh evaluation. The team reviews what surgery was performed, what improved, what did not improve, where the pain is now, and which structures may still be involved.

Diagnosis starts with a thorough review of the patient’s spine history.

The Peak Spine & Sports Medicine team may gather more information about the first injury or condition, the type of surgery performed, when pain improved or returned, whether symptoms changed after surgery, and what treatments have already been tried.

The evaluation may include:

  • Pain history
  • Surgical history
  • Review of operative reports when available
  • Review of MRI, CT, or X-ray imaging
  • Review of prior injections or procedures
  • Physical exam
  • Strength testing
  • Sensation and reflex evaluation
  • Discussion of work, sleep, travel, exercise, and daily limitations
  • Walking and movement assessment

Imaging may be recommended when appropriate. MRI can help evaluate discs, nerves, stenosis, scar tissue, and soft tissues. CT may be useful for bone, hardware, fusion status, or surgical changes. X-rays may help evaluate alignment, instability, arthritis, or prior fusion.

The key is connecting the symptoms with the findings; a patient may have several abnormalities on imaging, but treatment should focus on the structure most likely driving the current pain.

Why Choose Peak Spine & Sports Medicine for Failed Back Surgery Syndrome?

Peak Spine & Sports Medicine was built around a simple standard: this should be the kind of pain management practice we would want our own family members to visit.

Initial consultations are designed to be thorough, personal, and highly focused. The team takes time to understand where the pain started, what changed after surgery, what has already been tried, and what activities the patient needs to return to. Following a thorough evaluation, our team will develop a customized plan to address the pain directly rather than offer a cookie-cutter treatment that may not identify the root cause of the pain.

For one patient, the priority may be sitting through work without leg pain. For another, it may be walking through an airport, driving comfortably, sleeping through the night, exercising, golfing, lifting a child or grandchild, or simply getting through the day with less fear of a flare.

Peak Spine & Sports Medicine offers:

  • Concierge, white-glove pain management care
  • A non-opioid approach to pain care
  • Ivy League-trained professionals
  • Double board-certified pain management physicians
  • Cutting-edge interventional techniques and technology
  • Advanced chronic spine pain evaluation
  • Post-surgical spine pain treatment planning
  • Image-guided spine procedures
  • Spinal Cord Stimulation evaluation for selected patients
  • Peripheral Nerve Stimulation evaluation when appropriate
  • Telehealth consults when appropriate
  • A helpful staff that works to reduce the burden on patients
  • Insurance access for eligible PPO/POS patients with out-of-network benefits

Care is led by Dr. Milind Patel and Dr. Jill Kalariya, double board-certified pain management physicians who perform advanced interventional procedures in the outpatient surgery center. Brian Brown, PA supports patients through conservative care, diagnostic workups, imaging coordination, therapy recommendations, and follow-up planning, helping each patient navigate care with clarity.

Pain after spine surgery calls for careful diagnosis and realistic planning. At Peak Spine & Sports Medicine, the team evaluates the full pain pattern, prior surgery, imaging findings, neurologic symptoms, movement limits, prior treatments, and patient goals before recommending injections, nerve blocks, radiofrequency ablation, neuromodulation, therapy referral, surgical referral, or another treatment option.

Our practice is selective with insurance because the model is built around quality, not volume. We work for the patient, not the insurance company. That gives the team more time to listen, explain, coordinate care, and work for the patient rather than designing the visit around an insurance company’s schedule.

Visit our Why Choose Us page to learn more.

How Is Failed Back Surgery Syndrome Treated?

Some patients need physical therapy referral, strengthening, mobility work, or activity modification after pain is better controlled. Others may benefit from image-guided injections, nerve blocks, radiofrequency ablation, spinal cord stimulation, or another targeted interventional option.

Treatment options may include:

  • Physical therapy referral
  • Medication coordination without opioids when appropriate
  • Epidural Steroid Injections
  • Nerve Root / Selective Nerve Blocks
  • Medial Branch Blocks
  • Facet Joint Injections
  • Radiofrequency Ablation
  • SI Joint Injections
  • Trigger Point Injections
  • Nerve Blocks
  • Spinal Cord Stimulation
  • Peripheral Nerve Stimulation
  • Platelet-Rich Plasma in selected cases
  • Stem Cell Therapy in selected cases
  • Surgical referral when another operation may be appropriate

The treatment plan must match the source of the pain. A patient with post-lumbar-surgery nerve irritation may need a different approach than one with SI joint pain after fusion, facet joint arthritis above a fusion, muscle guarding, or persistent neuropathic leg pain.

Epidural Steroid Injections After Spine Surgery

Epidural steroid injections may be considered when post-surgical pain appears related to nerve inflammation or irritation.

Patients may have pain that travels from the lower back into the buttocks, hip, leg, or foot. Others may have neck pain that travels into the shoulder, arm, or hand after cervical spine surgery. An epidural steroid injection places anti-inflammatory medication near the irritated nerve pathway.

For some patients, epidural steroid injections may help reduce radiating pain enough to participate more comfortably in therapy, walking, strengthening, work, or daily activities. For others, the response helps clarify the extent to which nerve inflammation contributes to the pain.

Post-surgical anatomy can be more complex, so imaging guidance and careful planning are important.

Nerve Root / Selective Nerve Blocks for Post-Surgical Spine Pain

Nerve root or selective nerve blocks may be used when symptoms suggest that a specific nerve root is involved.

This may be helpful when pain follows a defined pathway into the arm or leg. The injection is placed near the suspected nerve root with imaging guidance. A meaningful response may provide relief and useful diagnostic information.

Selective nerve root blocks may be especially helpful when imaging shows multiple possible levels of concern or when prior surgery has changed the anatomy.

Facet Joint Injections and Medial Branch Blocks After Spine Surgery

Facet joints can become painful after spine surgery, especially when mechanics change above or below a treated level.

Facet-related pain may feel more central in the back or neck. It may worsen with extension, standing, twisting, or certain movements. It may not travel down the leg or arm in the same way nerve pain does.

Facet joint injections may place medication into or near the painful joint. Medial branch blocks target the small nerves that carry pain signals from the facet joints. If medial branch blocks provide strong but temporary relief, radiofrequency ablation may be considered for longer-lasting improvement.

Radiofrequency Ablation for Post-Surgical Spine Pain

Radiofrequency ablation may be considered when pain appears to come from the facet joints or certain other targeted nerves.

The procedure uses controlled heat energy to quiet pain signals from specific nerves. For patients with facet-related pain after spine surgery, radiofrequency ablation may help reduce pain and improve comfort with standing, walking, work, travel, and daily activities.

Radiofrequency ablation is usually considered after diagnostic blocks show that the targeted nerves are likely contributing to the pain.

SI Joint Injections After Lumbar Fusion

SI joint pain can develop or become more noticeable after lumbar fusion or other spine surgery.

The sacroiliac joints connect the base of the spine to the pelvis. When spinal mechanics change, these joints may become irritated and painful. SI joint pain can feel like low back, buttock, hip, groin, or upper leg pain.

SI joint injections may be used to help confirm whether the SI joint is a meaningful pain source and to calm inflammation in the area. If the SI joint is adding to pain, treatment may also incorporate therapy referral, movement modification, strengthening, or additional interventional options.

Trigger Point Injections for Muscle Guarding After Spine Surgery

Muscles may tighten or guard around a painful spine after surgery.

This guarding can become its own source of pain, especially when muscles remain tight, irritated, or sensitive for long periods. Patients may feel knots, spasms, stiffness, aching pain, or pain that worsens with posture or activity.

Trigger point injections may help calm painful muscle areas and allow patients to move, stretch, strengthen, or participate in therapy more comfortably. They may be considered when muscle pain is part of the larger post-surgical pain pattern.

Spinal Cord Stimulation for Failed Back Surgery Syndrome

Spinal Cord Stimulation may be considered for selected patients with persistent back, buttock, leg, neck, or arm pain after spine surgery.

Spinal Cord Stimulation uses a small, implanted device to send controlled electrical impulses near the spinal cord. These signals can alter how pain signals get processed before they reach the brain.

This treatment is often considered for chronic neuropathic pain, including persistent pain after spine surgery, when additional surgery is not clearly appropriate or when other treatments have not provided enough relief.

Spinal Cord Stimulation usually begins with a temporary trial. The trial allows the patient and physician to evaluate whether stimulation reduces pain and improves function before considering a permanent implant.

At Peak Spine & Sports Medicine, Spinal Cord Stimulation is recommended only after careful evaluation of the diagnosis, imaging, prior treatments, surgical history, functional goals, as well as readiness for an implantable therapy.

Peripheral Nerve Stimulation for Localized Post-Surgical Pain

Peripheral Nerve Stimulation may be considered when pain appears to involve a specific peripheral nerve or localized region outside the spine.

This treatment places a small stimulation lead near a targeted peripheral nerve. The goal is to control pain signaling from that nerve region and reduce pain in the affected area.

For selected patients with pain after spine surgery, Peripheral Nerve Stimulation may be discussed when symptoms are more localized, and the target nerve can be identified.

When Is Another Spine Surgery Needed?

Some patients with pain after spine surgery may need another surgical evaluation.

This may be appropriate when imaging shows a problem that is likely to require surgery, such as severe nerve compression, recurrent disc herniation with progressive symptoms, instability, hardware complications, nonunion, fracture, infection, tumor, or worsening neurologic deficits.

Urgent evaluation may be needed for loss of bowel or bladder control, numbness in the groin or saddle area, progressive weakness, difficulty walking, fever with severe spine pain, or symptoms after major trauma.

Peak Spine & Sports Medicine helps patients understand when interventional pain care is reasonable and when a spine surgeon should be involved.

Pain after spine surgery can affect more than the back or neck.

Patients may feel frustrated, worried, disappointed, or uncertain about what to do next. They may have trouble sleeping, working, driving, exercising, traveling, or staying active with family and friends. Some patients avoid movement because they worry it will cause more damage.

A thoughtful pain management plan can help patients regain a sense of direction. That may mean identifying a specific pain generator, reducing nerve pain, treating facet or SI joint pain, improving mobility, coordinating therapy, or considering neuromodulation when appropriate.

Progress may take time, especially when pain has been present for months or years. The plan should be practical, medically grounded, and function-focused.

The cost of treatment for Failed Back Surgery Syndrome depends on the evaluation, imaging or diagnostic needs, procedure recommended, facility, insurance benefits, and medical necessity requirements.

Peak Spine & Sports Medicine primarily works with patients who have PPO or POS insurance plans with out-of-network benefits. The practice is out-of-network for most insurance plans, allowing the team to maintain a smaller, more personalized model with longer visits, tailored treatment plans, more education, and less pressure to rush patients through care.

Many patients are surprised to learn that out-of-network care with PPO/POS plan benefits are typically much more accessible than they expected. The Peak Spine & Sports Medicine team can help review benefits, explain the process, and determine whether the practice is a good fit.

Peak Spine & Sports Medicine does not participate with EPO, HMO, Medicare, or Medicaid plans. This allows our office to quickly see both new and existing patients.

Patients visit Peak Spine & Sports Medicine in Marlton and Collingswood from Cherry Hill, Medford, Moorestown, Mount Laurel, Voorhees, Philadelphia, and surrounding areas because they want high-level interventional pain care without an opioid-first approach.

At Peak Spine & Sports Medicine, we do not use opioids as a shortcut for pain care.

Our practice focuses on interventional procedures because many pain problems involve specific pathways, nerves, joints, muscles, or pain generators. Pain after spine surgery may involve an irritated nerve root, facet joint, SI joint, disc problem, scar tissue, muscle guarding, or a chronic neuropathic pain pathway, each requiring a targeted plan.

Interventional pain management is designed to identify the source or pathway of pain and treat it more directly. For the right patient, care may include injections, nerve blocks, radiofrequency ablation, neuromodulation, therapy coordination, and other non-opioid strategies to improve function and quality of life.

Schedule a Failed Back Surgery Syndrome Consultation in Marlton or Collingswood, NJ

For Failed Back Surgery Syndrome treatment in Marlton and Collingswood, NJ, contact Peak Spine & Sports Medicine at (833) 377-7325 or schedule a consultation online today. Our team will help determine whether the pain pattern, goals, and insurance benefits make our concierge interventional pain model the right fit.

We proudly serve patients in Marlton, Haddonfield, Collingswood, Cherry Hill, Medford, Moorestown, Mount Laurel, Voorhees, Philadelphia, and surrounding communities.

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Failed Back Surgery Syndrome Marlton, NJ – FAQs

Post-laminectomy syndrome is one term used for persistent pain after certain types of spine surgery. Failed Back Surgery Syndrome is a broader phrase. Some clinicians also use the term persistent spinal pain syndrome.

Not necessarily. The term can be misleading. Pain may persist after surgery due to nerve irritation, scar tissue, arthritis, SI joint pain, facet joint pain, adjacent segment changes, muscle guarding, or another pain source.

Yes. Persistent leg pain after lumbar spine surgery may occur when a nerve remains irritated or compressed, or when chronic nerve pain continues after the original structural problem has been treated.

Yes. Patients may have persistent neck, shoulder, arm, hand, or finger symptoms after cervical spine surgery if nerve irritation, arthritis, muscle guarding, or another pain source remains.

Diagnosis usually includes a review of symptoms, surgical history, prior imaging, exam findings, neurologic symptoms, and prior treatment response. Imaging such as MRI, CT, or X-rays may be recommended when appropriate.

Treatment may include epidural steroid injections, nerve root blocks, facet joint injections, medial branch blocks, radiofrequency ablation, SI joint injections, trigger point injections, Spinal Cord Stimulation, Peripheral Nerve Stimulation, therapy referral, or surgical referral when needed.

Epidural steroid injections may help select patients when pain appears related to nerve inflammation or irritation. They may be considered for radiating leg or arm pain after spine surgery.

Yes, SI joint injections may be considered when pain after lumbar fusion appears to come from the sacroiliac joint. SI joint pain can feel like low back, buttock, hip, groin, or upper leg pain.

Radiofrequency ablation may help select patients when post-surgical pain appears to come from the facet joints or other targeted nerves. Diagnostic blocks are usually used first to determine whether the targeted nerves are involved.

Spinal Cord Stimulation may be considered for select patients with persistent chronic pain after spine surgery, especially when additional surgery is not clearly appropriate or other treatments have not provided enough relief. A temporary trial is usually performed first.

A spinal cord stimulator trial is a temporary test period that allows the patient and physician to see whether stimulation reduces pain and improves function before considering a permanent implant.

Some patients may need surgical evaluation, especially when imaging shows severe compression, instability, recurrent herniation, hardware complications, nonunion, infection, or progressive neurologic symptoms. Many patients can explore non-surgical pain management options first when appropriate.

Urgent medical care may be needed for loss of bowel or bladder control, saddle numbness, progressive weakness, difficulty walking, fever with severe spine pain, wound concerns, or sudden severe symptoms after trauma.

Some patients benefit from physical therapy or strengthening after pain is better controlled. Peak Spine & Sports Medicine does not provide in-house physical therapy, but the team may refer patients to outside providers when mobility, posture, strength, or functional restoration is part of the plan.

In many cases, yes. Telehealth consults may be available to review symptoms, discuss prior surgery and imaging, and determine whether an in-person exam or procedure consultation is appropriate.

Peak Spine & Sports Medicine accepts insurance and primarily works with PPO and POS plans that have out-of-network benefits. The practice does not participate with EPO, HMO, Medicare, or Medicaid plans. The team can help determine whether benefits may apply.