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
New Roads Chiropractic Center helps many New Roads neck pain sufferers find
neck pain relief.
DDD
Degenerative disc disease (DDD) - the deterioration
of a or multiple spinal discs – shows itself as low back pain
and neck and arm pain. 40% of people over 40 years old
have degenerative disc disease while 80% of those over age 80
have it. 10% to 20% of people with disc degeneration in the lumbar spine and up to 30% of those with disc degeneration in the
cervical spine 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 been around for some time. An early analysis of its use and efficacy indicated
that about 5% of DDD patients were appropriate 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 went from 0% to 8.1% per implant. Adjacent
segment disease was said to be 2% in an
11-year-follow-up study, but not definitive in the clinical
trial data. (1) New Roads Chiropractic Center sees post-surgical neck pain
patients experiencing such adjacent segment disease seek
our New Roads chiropractic care not uncommonly.
ADJACENT SEGMENT DISEASE AFTER CERVICAL SPINE SURGERY
Spine literature has recently addressed
the concern expressed in the prior study about
adjacent segment disease, degenerative changes at spinal segments directly
next to a spinal fusion or disc implant region. The cause for such
pain is explained as possibly resulting
from altered stresses on the adjoining levels after
such procedures. In an article geared toward primary
care practitioners who see 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 ago
for DDD. This patient underwent 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) New Roads Chiropractic Center uses flexion distraction decompression procedures
to gently address post-surgical New Roads neck pain.
POST-CERVICAL SPINE SURGERY NECK PAIN
Researchers wrote that cervical spine surgeries for
degenerative cervical spine conditions are increasing swiftly
and creating 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 not able to or unwilling to undergo another surgery. Such patients may then turn to manual therapy for hoped
relief. Because the clinical practice guidelines are
composed but not very clearly for post-cervical
spine surgery management, researchers reviewed published papers
to establish a path of care.
Of 12 articles, 10 studies on conservative care recounted favorable clinical outcomes.
(4) That is hopeful! New Roads Chiropractic Center shares this hope with our
New Roads neck pain patients who have had cervical
spine surgery for degenerative disease and other issues causing neck pain. Our
gentle spinal manipulation approach called Cox® Technic allows
relieving, doctor-monitored treatment of your cervical spine.
CONTACT New Roads Chiropractic Center
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Chris Osterlitz on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he discusses
how he helped a patient find 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.
Schedule your New Roads
chiropractic appointment today. Unwelcomed neck pain as a
result of degenerative disc disease and/or adjacent segment disease
after a cervical spine surgery may well find desired relief
in your chiropractor’s hands.