Why Spinal Pain Often Continues Post-Surgery

A medical research report on back pain released in April suggests why radiating neuropathy can continue following surgeries considered to be clinically “successful.” Pain that continues after operations has been a source of medical confusion for centuries. A landmark study with fundamental ramifications for back surgeons and pain management practices revealed that neurons are modified at the molecular level as the body shifts from a state of acute inflammation to one of chronic neuropathy. In other words, the body’s core building blocks adapt to a continuing spinal pain condition.

Lead author Dr. Mohammed Farid Shamji unveiled the results of the research at the yearly meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS). Essentially, the study revealed that “hypersensitivity” within the peripheral nervous system (PNS) can continue as a symptom of disk-herniation neuropathy. The report will help medical specialists better understand why pain – specifically radiating pain – continues following operations that seem functionally sound, possibly helping some patients avoid spinal surgery.

Condition not self-contained

Dr. Shamji said that typically when a patient is suffering from an “autoimmune neuroinflammatory radiculopathy,” physicians think of that condition as contained; but this new research shows that a radiculopathy – the condition underlying radiating pain (one form of which is sciatica) – can alter the makeup of neurons and amplify hypersensitivity when back pain occurs.

Developing a more coherent and comprehensive sense of the revision occurring in the molecules, says the research team, will make it possible for biomedical scientists to craft better treatments. The critical factor is that people who suffer from chronic pain are able to remain as able-bodied as possible. If disability can be avoided, the study’s authors think we could potentially keep the molecules from changing when the pain is acute. We might even be able to return the body to healthy functionality after the spinal pain has become chronic.

Importance of this study

Typically the research studies that are presented at annual meetings of medical professional associations feature incredibly impressive and sometimes groundbreaking results. A very basic indication of the noteworthiness of this neuropathy study is that it was chosen for highlighting out of more than 1300 presentation applications.

Patients are often wary of surgery, as they should be: the above findings indicate that it often won’t have the intended results, even when it appears to be “successful.” The best way to avoid spinal surgery is with our multidisciplinary team of board-certified medical doctors, chiropractors, and physical therapists. Read more about back pain Click Here.