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Johnson Chiropractic Offers Relieving Care for Post-Surgical Neck Pain

Neck pain anytime isn’t welcome. Neck pain after neck surgery is particularly unwelcome…by the patient and the treating physician! Gentle manual treatment of post-surgical neck pain and any adjacent-to-the-surgical-level-segment spinal pain conditions at Johnson Chiropractic helps many Richmond neck pain sufferers attain neck pain relief.

DDD

Degenerative disc disease (DDD) - the wear and tear of a or multiple spinal discs – shows itself as low back pain and neck and arm pain. 40% of people over 40 years of age have degenerative disc disease while 80% of those over age 80 have it. 10% to 20% of people with lumbar disc degeneration and up to 30% of those with cervical disc degeneration will not respond to non-surgical treatments. (1) Degenerative disc disease is reported as starting in the second decade of life. (2) The artificial disc replacement has existed for a while. An early analysis of its use and efficacy indicated that about 5% of DDD patients were eligible for it. Further, the review reported that lumbar artificial disc replacement was 79% superior to lumbar spine fusion with a major complication rate of 0% to 13% per implanted device. The rate of major complications at 2 years post-surgery varied from 0% to 8.1% per implant. Adjacent segment disease was reported to be 2% in one 11-year-follow-up study, but not definitive in the clinical trial data. (1) Johnson Chiropractic sees post-surgical neck pain patients experiencing such adjacent segment disease pursue our Richmond chiropractic care not uncommonly.

ADJACENT SEGMENT DISEASE AFTER CERVICAL SPINE SURGERY

Spine literature has recently addressed the concern conveyed in the prior study about adjacent segment disease, degenerative changes at spinal segments immediately next to a spinal fusion or disc implant area. The cause for such pain is described as possibly resulting from altered stresses on the adjoining levels after such procedures. In an article written for an audience of primary care practitioners who care for post-surgical patients with spinal pain, one such patient who presently had neck pain and cervical arm pain radiculopathy after a history of experiencing anterior cervical disectomy and spinal fusion surgery 30 years prior for DDD. This patient had 34 sessions of chiropractic care – a mix of cervical manipulation, flexion distraction decompression, soft-tissue mobilization and therapeutic ultrasound – stated that they experienced relief. (3) Johnson Chiropractic uses flexion distraction decompression procedures to gently treat post-surgical Richmond neck pain.

POST-CERVICAL SPINE SURGERY NECK PAIN

Researchers wrote that cervical spine surgeries for degenerative cervical spine conditions are rising swiftly and leaving in their wake post-surgical pain syndromes: chronic pain, adjacent segment disease, recurrent disc herniation, facet join pain, and/or epidural scarring. Repeat surgeries may be recommended though some patients are unable to or don’t want to go through another surgery. Such patients may then turn to manual therapy for desired relief. Because the clinical practice guidelines are written but not very clearly for post-cervical spine surgery management, researchers analyzed published papers to establish a path of care. Of 12 articles, 10 studies on conservative care recounted favorable clinical outcomes. (4) That is hopeful! Johnson Chiropractic imparts this hope with our Richmond neck pain patients who have undergone cervical spine surgery for degenerative disease and other issues causing neck pain. Our gentle spinal manipulation approach called Cox® Technic provides relieving, doctor-controlled treatment of your cervical spine.

CONTACT Johnson Chiropractic

Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Chris Osterlitz on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes how he treated a patient who found relief of his neck pain after a cervical spine surgery using the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management which may include nutritional advice to slow the degenerative disc disease.

Make your Richmond chiropractic appointment now. Unwelcomed neck pain due to degenerative disc disease and/or adjacent segment disease after a cervical spine surgery may well find the hoped for relief in the hands of your chiropractor.

Johnson Chiropractic offers gentle treatment for neck pain after neck surgery.
 
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"This information and website content is not intended to diagnose, guarantee results, or recommend specific treatment or activity. It is designed to educate and inform only. Please consult your physician for a thorough examination leading to a diagnosis and well-planned treatment strategy. See more details on the DISCLAIMER page. Content is reviewed by Dr. James M. Cox I."