Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka Offers Relieving Care for Post-Surgical Neck Pain
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 issues at Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka helps many Sitka neck pain sufferers find neck pain relief.
DDD
Degenerative disc disease (DDD) - the deterioration of one or more 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 disc degeneration in the cervical spine will not respond to non-surgical treatments. (1) Degenerative disc disease is documented 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 stated that about 5% of DDD patients were appropriate for it. Additionally, the review reported that lumbar artificial disc replacement was 79% better than 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 ranged from 0% to 8.1% per implant. Adjacent segment disease was reported to be 2% in one 11-year-follow-up study, but not conclusive in the clinical trial data. (1) Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka finds that post-surgical neck pain patients experiencing such adjacent segment disease pursue our Sitka 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 immediately next to a spinal fusion or disc implant region. The cause for such pain is explained as potentially 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 with a history of experiencing anterior cervical disectomy and spinal fusion surgery 30 years earlier for DDD. This patient had 34 sessions of chiropractic care – a combination of cervical manipulation, flexion distraction decompression, soft-tissue mobilization and therapeutic ultrasound – stated that they had relief. (3) Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka uses flexion distraction decompression procedures to gently treat post-surgical Sitka 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 proposed though some patients are not able to or unwilling to go through 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 composed but not very distinctly 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! Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka imparts this hope with our Sitka 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 Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka
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.
Schedule your Sitka chiropractic appointment soon. 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.
