“Failed Back Surgery,” “Failed Back Surgery Syndrome,” and simply “Failed Back” are umbrella terms used to describe chronic pain that starts or persists after spine surgery. To understand this cause of pain, it is important to remember that spine surgery serves a certain purpose. It solves a number of problems, but as any other tool, it has its limitations. The surgery itself can cause pain, and a surgical procedure may not be able to address all pain generators.
There are many changes that occur in the mechanics of the spine as a result of surgery and these can have significant effects on the spine. With Failed Back Surgery, the common complaint is chronic pain in the back and legs.