Manahawkin Chiropractic Care of Adjacent Segment Disease After Fusion
“For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” Just a physics rule? Not at all! It applies to many things in life, including back pain and neck pain. Adjacent segment disease shows this principle! When back pain is dealt with back surgery, especially back surgery including a spinal fusion, the reaction to the action of the fusion is pressure on the spinal segments above and below the surgical segment. These are the adjacent segments. These segments accept the work of the surgical segment which they were not designed to do. These adjacent segments rebel with pain of their own. Manahawkin Chiropractic Center soothes these rebellious adjacent segments with gentle, non-operative, pain-relieving chiropractic treatment.
WHAT IS ADJACENT SEGMENT DISEASE?
Researchers explain adjacent segment disease (ASD) as a “disappointing long-term outcome for both the patient and clinician.” Cervical and lumbar spine adjacent segment disease is supposedly between 2% and 4% a year according to one study. It impacts reoperation rates after spinal fusion. Risks for ASD are diverse including existing degeneration of adjacent segments, predisposition to degenerative changes, and altered biomechanical forces because of a previous fusion. Non-surgical treatment for adjacent segment disease is the first step as long as progressive neurological deficit is not an issue. (1)
HOW DOES BACK SURGERY INFLUENCE ADJACENT SEGMENT DISEASE RISK?
Types of surgical approaches have an effect on the chances of fusion along with adjacent segment disease. Total disc replacements (TDR) for neck pain conditions using a ball and socket are devised to preserve motion and reproduce normal motions of the cervical spine. In a surgery for adjacent segment disease in a patient with a TDR, fusion was noted, but adjacent segment disease was present too which took the patient back to surgery. (2) Adjacent segment disease after a single level lumbar fusion was a significant cause of post-surgical issues in a new report. It generally indicated the need for reoperation after a thoracolumbar fusion, subjecting patients to more post-surgical complications and lengthier recovery periods. (3) Low back pain patients who went through fusion surgery had an elevated risk of post-surgical work-disability after insurance regulation alterations compared with low back pain patients who were treated non-surgically or with decompression alone. (4) In one study, the reoperation for ASD was 25.2% for L4L5 fusion though adjacent segment disease at L5S1 after an L4L5 fusion surgery was minimal. (5) Another study of 1000 patients who underwent a fusion back surgery reported that 9% experienced adjacent segment disease on average at 4.7 years after the first surgery. Adjacent segment disease was most frequent in degenerative spondylolisthesis at the cranial fusion segment. Risk for adjacent segment disease was elevated in patients whose fusions were longer. Adjacent segment disease arose more quickly after fusion in elderly patients and in those with degenerative lumbar scoliosis. (6) Chiropractic non-surgical care may meet the call for non-operative treatment pain after back surgery including back surgery with fusion.
HOW DOES CHIROPRACTIC ADDRESS ADJACENT SEGMENT DISEASE?
Support via research for Manahawkin chiropractic care of post-surgical continued back pain grows. A study of 32 post-surgical back pain patients cared for with Cox® Technic reported improvement of 41% to 57%, higher in those who had combined surgeries like fusions. (7) Another study of Cox® Technic treatment stated that 69 post-surgical continued pain (PSCP) patients received active chiropractic care via Cox® Technic Flexion Distraction for an average of 11 treatments over a 49 day period. Pain relief was 71.6% (SD: 23.2). Two years later, the lasting pain relief was 70% with 32 patients needing further care to maintain pain relief. PSCP patients demonstrated pain relief following specific chiropractic distraction spinal manipulation. (8)
CONTACT Manahawkin Chiropractic Center
Listen to Dr. Lee Hazen on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson about his treatment of a failed back surgical syndrome (aka post-surgical continued pain) patient with the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
Schedule your Manahawkin chiropractic appointment now. Manahawkin Chiropractic Center cares for post-surgical continued pain and adjacent segment disease. There is no need to suffer the reaction to the action of back surgery when Manahawkin chiropractic non-operative care is available at Manahawkin Chiropractic Center.
