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
Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office helps many Groton neck pain sufferers attain
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 age 40
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 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 existed for a
while. An early analysis of its use and efficacy stated
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 ranged from 0% to 8.1% per implant. Adjacent
segment disease was reported to be 2% in an
11-year-follow-up study, but not conclusive in the clinical
trial data. (1) Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office sees post-surgical neck pain
patients experiencing such adjacent segment disease pursue
our Groton 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 area. The cause for such
pain is described as potentially arising
from altered stresses on the neigboring levels after
such procedures. In an article geared toward 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 after a history of experiencing anterior cervical disectomy and spinal fusion surgery 30 years prior
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 had
relief. (3) Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office uses flexion distraction decompression procedures
to gently treat post-surgical Groton 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 unable to or don’t
want to undergo another surgery. Such patients may then consult
with a practitioner who offers manual therapy for hoped
relief. Because the clinical practice guidelines are
composed 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 reported favorable clinical outcomes.
(4) That is hopeful! Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office shares this hope with our
Groton 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 provides
relieving, doctor-controlled treatment of your cervical spine.
CONTACT Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office
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.
Make your Groton
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 the hands of your chiropractor.