Chronic pain after spinal surgery (Q89596)

Chronic pain after spinal surgery (Failed Back Surgery Syndrome, FBSS) is chronic back pain or leg pain developing or increasing in intensity after surgery that persists or recurs for longer than 3 months following spinal surgery (i.e. beyond the healing process). The pain is either localised to the back area or projected into one or both limbs (radicular pain). Other causes of chronic pain including infection, malignancy etc. need to be excluded as well as chronic pain continuing from a pre-existing pain condition. In case of pain that continues from a preoperative condition, intensity and/or pain characteristics must be different (development of back pain/persistence of a neuropathic radicular component).