“You had the operation and the pain came back.”
Persistent pain after a discectomy or fusion. A large share of the people who come to us have already been operated on.
Because nothing is removed or fused, previously operated spines can still be candidates.
Whatever the diagnosis on your report says, the treatable question is whether a disc is torn and leaking. An annulogram answers that directly — and a review of the MRI you already own is where it starts.
How the procedure works“Failed back surgery syndrome” is the term for pain that persists or returns after a spine operation — a discectomy, a laminectomy, or a fusion. A large share of the people who come to us have already been operated on, and a previously operated spine is often still assessable.
What it is
Surgery can be technically successful and still leave pain. The operated level may not have been the one generating it; an adjacent disc may be torn and leaking; scar tissue may irritate a nerve root; a fusion may have transferred load to the discs above and below. “Failed” describes the outcome the patient lives with, not an error.
How it tends to feel
Pain that never fully went away after surgery, or that returned within months to a couple of years. Often it is in the same region as before but subtly different — a new level, a new side, a deeper ache alongside the old leg pain. Pain at the level next to a fusion commonly appears gradually.
What imaging shows — and misses
A post-operative MRI is harder to read: hardware causes artefact, scar and recurrent herniation can look alike, and adjacent discs may show degeneration that was already there. The annulogram is unaffected by any of that — each disc is tested for leaking in turn, including the levels next to a fusion.
How the FibraDisc Procedure addresses it
At torn, leaking levels identified on the annulogram — commonly the discs adjacent to a fusion, or the operated disc itself — fibrin sealant is placed into the tear through a needle. Existing hardware is not disturbed and nothing further is removed. We read the operative report alongside the new imaging, and we do not perform fusions or revisions.
Fibrin sealant's use inside the disc is off-label; the published evidence is pilot and observational data; outcomes vary and are not guaranteed.
When it is not the answer
Loose or broken hardware, a fusion that has not united, infection, or progressive neurological signs are surgical questions, and we will send you back to a surgeon rather than treat around them. Pain from scar tissue alone, with no leaking disc on the annulogram, is also not something this procedure addresses.
Questions about failed back surgery
That may be true of the operation you had. It is less often true of the pain itself. Adjacent discs that were never addressed are a common, assessable source — and assessing them does not commit you to anything.
It is not right for everyone. We will say so.
Often a good fit
- Chronic low back or neck pain that has not resolved with conservative care
- A recent MRI showing disc degeneration, bulging, or herniation
- Pain after a failed spine surgery, including fusion
- You have been told fusion is the next step and want another option first
- You want to avoid hardware and preserve your own disc
Not a fit, or not yet
- No recent MRI — we cannot assess you without imaging
- Progressive weakness, foot drop, or loss of bladder or bowel control (seek care now)
- Active spinal infection or cancer involving the spine
- Severe spinal instability or high-grade slippage
- Expecting insurance to cover it — the procedure is self-pay
Is your failed back surgery actually a torn disc?
A physician screens the MRI you already have and tells you in writing whether you appear to be a candidate — before you spend anything, least of all a flight.