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 New Hampshire Spine and Sport helps many Southern New Hampshire 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 age 40 have degenerative disc disease while 80% of those over 80 years of age 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 documented as starting in the second decade of life. (2) The artificial disc replacement has existed for a while. An early review 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 ranged from 0% to 8.1% per implant. Adjacent segment disease was stated to be 2% in an 11-year-follow-up study, but not conclusive in the clinical trial data. (1) New Hampshire Spine and Sport sees post-surgical neck pain patients experiencing such adjacent segment disease pursue our Southern New Hampshire chiropractic care not uncommonly.
ADJACENT SEGMENT DISEASE AFTER CERVICAL SPINE SURGERY
Spine literature has recently addressed the concern conveyed 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 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 had anterior cervical disectomy and spinal fusion surgery 30 years prior for DDD. This patient had 34 sessions of chiropractic care – a combination of cervical manipulation, flexion distraction decompression, soft-tissue mobilization and therapeutic ultrasound – reported relief. (3) New Hampshire Spine and Sport uses flexion distraction decompression procedures to gently treat post-surgical Southern New Hampshire neck pain.
POST-CERVICAL SPINE SURGERY NECK PAIN
Researchers wrote that cervical spine surgeries for degenerative cervical spine conditions are rising 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 unwilling to go through another surgery. Such patients may then turn to manual therapy for desired relief. Because the clinical practice guidelines are written but not very clearly 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! New Hampshire Spine and Sport shares this hope with our Southern New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire Spine and Sport
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Chris Osterlitz on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he discusses 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.
Set up your Southern New Hampshire chiropractic appointment soon. 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.