Neck Surgery
Chiropractic treatment of post surgical neck
syndrome with mechanical force, manually assisted short-lever
spinal adjustments. Polkinghorn, BS, Colloca, CJ J Manipulative
Physiol Ther 2001;24:589-95
A 35-year old woman had two surgeries on her neck for chronic
pain: a diskectomy at C3/4 and a fusion at C5/6. Surgeries
were performed 6 months apart. Neither surgery was effective.
Five years after the second surgery, a third surgery was
recommended but instead the patient sought chiropractic care.
Within 30 days of her first chiropractic adjustment all of
her chronic symptoms had resolved. Two year follow-up revealed
no more neck problems.
Chiropractic care of a patient with vertebral
subluxations and unsuccessful surgery of the cervical Spine
Alcantara, Plaugher, Thornton and Salem Vol 24, No 7 Journal
of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, Sept 2001,
pp. 477-482.
This is the case of a 55 year-old male highway patrolman
who fell while on duty injuring his upper back and neck.
Medical
intervention led to the detection of a pheochromocytoma (tumor)
that was surgically removed. The excision did not have any
positive effect on the patient's neck and left arm radiculopathy.
An MRI diagnosis revealed C4-5, C5-6 and C6-7 disk bulge and/or
herniation. An anterior cervical discectomy at C6-7 in 1992
was unproductive and the patient was left with a diagnosis
of right C6-7 radiculopathy. For the next 2-3 years the patient
experienced left arm weakness. A 2-month stint of traction
gave no improvement.
The patient was first adjusted using a Gonstead Cervical
Chair style correction, seen four times in seven days and
reported a 50% improvement in movement of his left arm and
a cessation of neck and arm pain. The patient was seen 16
times and received 14 adjustments. In 1997, he was seen 11
times and, in 1998, 8 times. He has returned to his previous
activities and at one year following the first adjustment,
has regained 50% of the mid-humerus girth differential. This
paper is the first indexed report of a patient who experienced
an unsuccessful cervical diskectomy who recovered after chiropractic.
Copyright
2004 Koren Publications, Inc. & Tedd Koren,
D.C.