Gentle Support for Lingering Pain:
Chiropractic Care After Spinal Surgery at Wellness at Work, PA
Spinal surgery can be a significant step towards addressing persistent back or neck pain, and for many, it brings much-needed relief. However, it's not uncommon for some individuals to experience lingering discomfort, stiffness, or new sensations even after the initial healing period. If you're navigating persistent pain post-surgery, you might be wondering about safe and effective conservative options. At Wellness at Work, PA, we understand these unique challenges and offer a gentle, individualized approach to support your recovery.
Our primary focus when working with patients post-spinal surgery is safety and a highly conservative methodology. We typically initiate care using very gentle means, often employing an Activator device. This instrument delivers a controlled, low-force impulse, allowing for precise adjustments without the twisting or heavy force sometimes associated with traditional manual adjustments. This gentle approach is designed to respect the surgical changes to your spine while encouraging optimal function. Additionally, we provide guidance on light exercises that complement your rehabilitation journey and may offer others to further support your spinal health and build resilience.
The applicability of chiropractic care post-surgery often depends on the specific type of procedure you've had and your stage of healing. For patients who have undergone a discectomy or laminectomy, and once adequately healed with clearance from your spinal surgeon, we can typically provide significant support. Our adjustments and therapeutic exercises are generally well-suited to help restore mobility, reduce residual muscle tension, and address any new compensatory issues that may have arisen. The key is careful assessment and collaborative approval with your surgeon to ensure your care plan aligns with your recovery.
Spinal fusion surgery, which involves permanently joining vertebrae, presents a different set of considerations. While our gentle chiropractic adjustments can still be beneficial for surrounding areas to improve overall spinal mechanics and reduce compensatory stress, it's important to note a specific limitation: spinal decompression therapy is not appropriate for fused spinal segments due to the altered biomechanics and presence of surgical hardware. However, it can be a beneficial option for other types of post-surgical conditions where the spine is not fused. Our focus for fusion patients remains on gentle mobilization of adjacent segments and soft tissue work, always within the parameters of what is safe and approved.
Our goal at Wellness at Work, PA is to complement your surgical recovery by addressing the biomechanical factors contributing to your ongoing discomfort. By promoting proper spinal alignment and function through gentle adjustments and targeted exercises, we aim to reduce pain perception, calm the nervous system, and support your body's natural healing capabilities. We believe in collaborative care, working in conjunction with your medical team to ensure a holistic approach to your well-being.
If you're experiencing lingering pain after spinal surgery and are seeking a gentle, supportive path to relief, we invite you to explore how chiropractic care might help. Your journey to comfort and restored function begins with a thorough evaluation. Contact us today at 316-684-4888, or visit us at 837 S. Hillside, Wichita, KS 67211 to schedule your consultation.
References:
- For the general safety and efficacy of conservative care/manual therapy for post-surgical persistent low back pain (FBSS):
- Lee JH, Lee SK, Choe JY, et al. Effectiveness of Nonoperative Management for Failed Back Surgery Syndrome: A Systematic Review. Spine. 2017 Aug 1;42(15):E915-E921. (This review often includes manual therapy as a component of non-operative management, highlighting its potential role in carefully selected patients.)
- For the gentle nature and application of the Activator Method (general principle):
- Fuhr AW, Green JR. Activator Methods Chiropractic Technique (2nd ed.). Mosby; 2011. (This is a foundational reference for the Activator technique, describing its low-force, high-velocity principles. While not a study on post-op specifically, it establishes the method's gentle nature.)
- For contraindications of spinal decompression therapy in fusion:
- General consensus in spine care and manufacturer guidelines for spinal decompression devices list spinal fusion with instrumentation as a contraindication. This is a standard clinical principle taught in chiropractic and physical therapy fields regarding spinal hardware and altered biomechanics. While a single peer-reviewed study demonstrating harm for ethical reasons might not exist, this is widely accepted clinical practice.
- (As a general principle in chiropractic and physical therapy education, spinal fusion is a contraindication for mechanical decompression. Specific studies often address outcomes of decompression where fusion is absent, or reviews of contraindications. The phrasing reflects accepted clinical guidelines.)