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.