The Effect of Intradermal Local Anesthetic Injection on Pain and Functionality in Failed Back Surgery Syndrome

The prevalence of low back pain is around 60% - 80% and its the 5th most common disease to seek medical help. 80% of patients who have an acute onset of low back pain whether treated or not relieved on symptoms, while unfortunately 10% of patients' low back pain will worsen end eventually progress to chronic low back pain. With the increase on the number of different techniques on spinal surgery, and an increase in the number of patients who had risk factors undergone spinal surgery caused an increase in the number of patients who had new complaints after surgery. The term Failed Back Surgery Syndrome describes new complaints or not enough ease on the complaints of a patient who had spinal surgery. Due to the variation of the criteria of assessment, it is noted that around 10% -40% of the patients who had spinal surgery will have Failed Back Surgery Syndrome.

Failed Back Surgery Syndrome is commonly described as pain in low back and/or legs with difficulty in daily activities. Pain might be radicular or localized to the low back, it might be mechanic or neuropathic in nature.

Some of the pathologies that cause Failed Back Surgery Syndrome are loss of height on the disc, arthrosis, spinal stenosis caused by the hypertrophy of the facet joints, recurrent disc herniation, arachnoiditis, central stenosis, epidural fibrosis, instability, pseudoarthrosis, and discitis.

Rehabilitation is one of the vital parts of the treatment of Failed Back Surgery Syndrome. After a detailed patient history and a complete physical examination, clinicians should create a rehabilitation program that aims improvements on pain, functionality, quality of life and activities of daily living and is tailored for the patient. It is shown that patients who undergo rehabilitation programs had improvements in physical functionality, posture, and difficulties with walking. Other conservative treatments include cognitive behavioral therapy and noninvasive injection techniques.

Literature shows that multifidus muscle is damaged and atrophied in the patients who had spinal surgery. Also, there is a correlation between functional impairment and atrophy. Usually, the muscles that control flexion and extension of the low back are weak in patients who have low back pain. Extensor muscles, especially the erector spinae muscle group are the posterior stabilisers of the vertebral colon. Loss of endurance and weakness of these muscles and low back pain have a correlation and strengthening these muscles will result in an improvement in low back pain.