Have neck pain? Back pain? Have you wanted to just get new parts to get relief? Is the pain that bad? For many Richmond neck pain and back pain sufferers, it is. They want to try anything to get rid of the pain. Johnson Chiropractic understands and takes a conservative, non-operative approach to neck and back pain relief. And Johnson Chiropractic knows to carefully monitor our spine pain patients for appropriate milestones in their pain relief journey. If those don’t come as expected, Johnson Chiropractic knows how to get you to the next healthcare step be that more imaging or a neurosurgical or orthopedic consultation. However, the journey to back pain and/or neck pain relief starts at Johnson Chiropractic for so many people.
A new paper reports that despite their use for nearly 10 years, artificial discs for the cervical spine are not effectively proven. This reports’ researchers share that few of the follow up studies collect data beyond 2 years despite the fact that there have been so many replacements done. On a positive note, researchers share that the implants do preserve neck mobility for a while. On a less positive note, the ability of artificial discs to prevent adjacent segment is not proven. Plus, the cost effectiveness is also not established to be better than other approaches. (1)
So what is this “adjacent segment disease” that these artificial disc reports mention? It’s a term referring to potential complication of spinal fusion or disc replacement: disc degeneration at the disc level above or below a replaced disc or spinal fusion. For example, if your spine is fused from L3 to L5, the L2 disc may be placed under so much stress that it degenerates. (2) As a matter of fact, 29% of patients who have 3 thoracolumbar levels or more fused experience adjacent level disease. (3) Johnson Chiropractic offers chiropractic care with conservative, non-operative care with Cox Technic as the first step in managing spine pain. This care addresses the affected, pain-originating spinal segment in hopes of sparing the adjacent segments.
Before making a decision to have a disc replacement surgery or a spinal fusion performed for back pain or neck pain, consider consulting your Richmond chiropractor at Johnson Chiropractic. Johnson Chiropractic offers its use of the research-documented and evidence-based Cox Technic. Why? It’s safe. It’s clinically effective. It’s gentle. It doesn’t harm the adjacent segments. Johnson Chiropractic’s comprehensive examination leads to an individualized treatment plan just for you. Our 50% Rule and goal (50% relief of pain in 30 days) may set you toward relief without surgery (and/or its potential complication, adjacent segment disease), without fusion, and without new, unproven parts.
So try Johnson Chiropractic's approach to back pain and neck pain relief before surgery…or after if you find yourself with continued neck pain and/or arm pain. Johnson Chiropractic confidently offers its treatment plan for neck pain relief for Richmond back and neck pain patients pre or post-surgery. We look forward to seeing you.