Neck pain anytime is not 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
Back And Neck Care Center helps many Severna Park 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 lumbar
disc degeneration and up to 30% of those with cervical disc degeneration will not get relief from non-surgical treatments. (1) Degenerative disc disease is reported
to start as early as 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 eligible for it. Further,
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 varied from 0% to 8.1% per implant. Adjacent
segment disease was said to be 2% in one
11-year-follow-up study, but not conclusive in the clinical
trial data. (1) Back And Neck Care Center sees post-surgical neck pain
patients experiencing such adjacent segment disease seek
our Severna Park chiropractic care not uncommonly.
ADJACENT SEGMENT DISEASE AFTER CERVICAL SPINE SURGERY
Spine literature has recently published studies regarding
the concern expressed in the study above about
adjacent segment disease, degenerative changes at spinal segments immediately
next to a spinal fusion or disc implant region. The cause for such
pain is explained as potentially arising
from altered stresses on the neigboring levels after
such procedures. In an article geared toward primary
care practitioners who see post-surgical patients with spinal
pain, one such patient who currently had neck pain and cervical
arm pain radiculopathy with a history of having
undergone anterior cervical disectomy and spinal fusion surgery 30 years earlier
for DDD. This patient underwent 34 sessions of chiropractic care – a combination
of cervical manipulation, flexion distraction decompression, soft-tissue mobilization
and therapeutic ultrasound – stated that they experienced
relief. (3) Back And Neck Care Center uses flexion distraction decompression procedures
to gently address post-surgical Severna Park neck pain.
POST-CERVICAL SPINE SURGERY NECK PAIN
Researchers wrote that cervical spine surgeries for
degenerative cervical spine conditions are increasing 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 proposed
though some patients are not able 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
composed but not very clearly for post-cervical
spine surgery management, researchers reviewed published papers
to determine a path of care.
Of 12 articles, 10 studies on conservative care recounted favorable clinical outcomes.
(4) That is hopeful! Back And Neck Care Center imparts this hope with our
Severna Park 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-monitored treatment of your cervical spine.
CONTACT Back And Neck Care Center
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 using the Cox® Technic System
of Spinal Pain Management which may include nutritional advice to slow the degenerative disc disease.
Schedule your Severna Park
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 the hands of your chiropractor.