September 2025 Healthy News from OrthoIllinois Chiropractic - Second Chances: How Flexion Distraction Therapy (and Even Gardening!) Rescue Patients from Failed Back Surgery Syndrome
From Surgical Disappointment to Healing Hope: The Cox® Technic Solution for Persistent Back Pain
When back surgery or neck surgery doesn't provide the relief patients desperately hoped for, the ensuing condition—failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS)—can cause them to feel stuck between ongoing pain and fear of additional procedures. But new research illuminates both why some surgeries don’t make the grade and how patients can find real relief through advanced chiropractic care. Hajilo and colleagues' revealing 2024 study discloses the troubling reality that doctors currently lack dependable ways to predict which patients will get FBSS after posterior spine surgery, while their broad analysis identifies crucial risk factors that could transform patient outcomes. (1) Enter the game-changing work of Kruse, White, Rogers, Klamson, and Gudavalli, whose 2025 research demonstrates how Cox® Technic flexion distraction—a gentle yet powerful chiropractic approach—is offering real hope to FBSS sufferers who thought they'd exhausted their options. This particular technique works by gently decompressing and mobilizing the spine, delivering a welcome alternative to more invasive interventions. (2) Together, these eye-opening studies exhibit that while post-surgical pain may be intricate and multifaceted, patients aren't helpless—effective, conservative treatments and even some lifestyle changes exist that can restore quality of life without the risks and recovery time of another surgery.
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. James Cox, developer of Cox® Technic, on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson explain in his own words the advantage of treatment with The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management for McHenry failed back surgical syndrome back pain sufferers.
TIP OF THE MONTH: Garden Your Way to Back Relief
Speaking of lifestyle impacts on post-surgical FBSS, fresh research is offering bright hope for back pain sufferers after surgery, and the solutions might be easier than expected. A major healthcare study revealed that patients with failed back surgery syndrome often share adaptable lifestyle factors – smoking, excess weight, and mood disorders – signifying that addressing these areas could significantly improve outcomes. Even more heartening is research on therapeutic gardening, where two-thirds of chronic back pain patients considered gardening could help their symptoms, and they were proven right. Participants experienced better spine flexibility and reduced anxiety through structured horticultural activities. The gentle movements of tending plants, combined with nature's stress-relieving benefits, generated an unexpected path to healing. These studies propose that recovery might flourish not just in medical offices, but through lifestyle changes like quitting smoking, managing weight, dealing with issues of mental health, and literally getting back to our roots in the garden. (3,4)
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