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
Vancouver Disc Centers helps many Vancouver 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 disc degeneration in the
cervical spine 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 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 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) Vancouver Disc Centers finds that post-surgical neck pain
patients with such adjacent segment disease seek
our Vancouver 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 directly
next to a spinal fusion or disc implant area. The cause for such
pain is explained as potentially arising
from altered stresses on the adjacent 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 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 mix
of cervical manipulation, flexion distraction decompression, soft-tissue mobilization
and therapeutic ultrasound – reported
relief. (3) Vancouver Disc Centers uses flexion distraction decompression procedures
to gently treat post-surgical Vancouver neck pain.
POST-CERVICAL SPINE SURGERY NECK PAIN
Researchers wrote that cervical spine surgeries for
degenerative cervical spine conditions are increasing quickly
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 unwilling to undergo another surgery. Such patients may then turn to manual therapy for hoped
relief. Because the clinical practice guidelines are
written but not very distinctly for post-cervical
spine surgery management, researchers analyzed published papers
to determine a path of care.
Of 12 articles, 10 studies on conservative care reported favorable clinical outcomes.
(4) That is hopeful! Vancouver Disc Centers imparts this hope with our
Vancouver 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-monitored treatment of your cervical spine.
CONTACT Vancouver Disc Centers
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Chris Osterlitz on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he discusses
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.
Schedule your Vancouver
chiropractic appointment soon. 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 your chiropractor’s hands.