Apple Country Chiropractic Offers Relieving Care for Post-Surgical Neck Pain
Neck pain anytime is not welcome. Neck pain after neck surgery is especially 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 issues at Apple Country Chiropractic helps many Williamson neck pain sufferers get 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 age 40 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 cervical disc degeneration will not respond to non-surgical treatments. (1) Degenerative disc disease is documented to start as early as in the second decade of life. (2) The artificial disc replacement has existed for a while. An early analysis of its use and efficacy stated that about 5% of DDD patients were eligible for it. Additionally, the review stated 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) Apple Country Chiropractic sees post-surgical neck pain patients experiencing such adjacent segment disease seek our Williamson chiropractic care not uncommonly.
ADJACENT SEGMENT DISEASE AFTER CERVICAL SPINE SURGERY
Spine literature has recently published studies regarding 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 area. The cause for such pain is explained as potentially resulting from altered stresses on the adjacent 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 with a history of having had anterior cervical disectomy and spinal fusion surgery 30 years ago for DDD. This patient underwent 34 sessions of chiropractic care – a combination of cervical manipulation, flexion distraction decompression, soft-tissue mobilization and therapeutic ultrasound – reported relief. (3) Apple Country Chiropractic uses flexion distraction decompression procedures to gently treat post-surgical Williamson neck pain.
POST-CERVICAL SPINE SURGERY NECK PAIN
Researchers wrote that cervical spine surgeries for degenerative cervical spine conditions are rising quickly 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 advised though some patients are not able to or do not want to undergo another surgery. Such patients may then consult with a practitioner who offers manual therapy for hoped relief. Due to the fact that the clinical practice guidelines are written but not very distinctly 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! Apple Country Chiropractic imparts this hope with our Williamson 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 allows relieving, doctor-controlled treatment of your cervical spine.
CONTACT Apple Country Chiropractic
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Chris Osterlitz on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes how he helped a patient find relief of his neck pain after a cervical spine surgery following the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management which may include nutritional advice to slow the degenerative disc disease.
Make your Williamson chiropractic appointment today. Unwelcomed neck pain due to degenerative disc disease and/or adjacent segment disease after a cervical spine surgery may well find desired relief in your chiropractor’s hands.
