Can Chiropractic Help after Back Surgery?

Low back pain is one of the most important cause of disability globally (1), and is responsible for vast societal impact (2). Although the majority of low back pain complaints are recommended to be managed conservatively, rates of surgical intervention for lower back pain and its associated disorders continue to rise globally (3). Do you or a loved one experience low back pain? This is an important article that could make the world of difference to you.
 
“Over a 10 year period (2004-2015) spinal surgery increased by 190% in Asia (4)”
 
Persistent spinal pain syndrome is a term that defines chronic or recurrent pain of spinal origin, and it is divided into 2 types. Type 1 being without previous surgery and type 2 are patients who have had previous relevant surgery, with type 2 affecting 20-40% of patients who have had spine surgery (5). Having had surgery for the lower back and being still in pain, are there other options for patients to seek for help in managing back pain? Is chiropractic safe and effective for patients who have had spinal surgeries?
 
In a recent research literature, 31 adults with persistent spinal pain syndrome type 2 who have received chiropractic care were retrospectively reviewed. Looking at baseline and follow up data on their Numeric Pain Rating Scale and Oswestry Disability Index. It was found that for the 31 adults looked at, improvements were observed with chiropractic care, which was seen to be more effective in patients who were younger, had a shorter duration of symptoms and/or had a higher level of pain or disability before treatment (6). Though a larger sample size of patients would help further substantiate these observations, indications are positive for chiropractic care being safe and effective to help patients manage lower back pain/s that are still experienced after surgical procedure.
 
If you want to find out if chiropractic may help manage low back pain for you or your loved ones, have a chat with one of our chiropractors to see how they can assist.
 
“Prevention is better than cure, though it is never too late to start your health journey”
 
 
1.Hartvigsen J, Hancock MJ, Kongsted A, et al. What low back pain is and why we need to pay attention. Lancet 2018;391:2356–67.
2. Dagenais, S., Caro, J. and Haldeman, S., 2008. A systematic review of low back pain cost of illness studies in the United States and internationally. The spine journal, 8(1), pp.8-20.
3. Yap, Z.L., Summers, S.J., Grant, A.R., Moseley, G.L. and Karran, E.L., 2022. The role of the social determinants of health in outcomes of surgery for low back pain: a systematic review and narrative synthesis. The Spine Journal, 22(5), pp.793-809.
4. Kobayashi, K., Ando, K., Nishida, Y., Ishiguro, N. and Imagama, S., 2018. Epidemiological trends in spine surgery over 10 years in a multicenter database. European Spine Journal, 27, pp.1698-1703.
5. Christelis, N., Simpson, B., Russo, M., Stanton-Hicks, M., Barolat, G., Thomson, S., Schug, S., Baron, R., Buchser, E., Carr, D.B. and Deer, T.R., 2021. Persistent spinal pain syndrome: a proposal for failed back surgery syndrome and ICD-11. Pain Medicine, 22(4), pp.807-818.
6. Chu, E.C.P. and Trager, R.J., 2022. Effectiveness of multimodal chiropractic care featuring spinal manipulation for persistent spinal pain syndrome following lumbar spine surgery: retrospective chart review of 31 adults in Hong Kong. Medical Science Monitor: International Medical Journal of Experimental and Clinical Research, 28, pp.e937640-1.