This is a common question we get when speaking with the community and patients about chiropractic care. There is a major misconception that if you have had neck or back surgery, then you can no longer visit a chiropractor. This is not always the case! Most of the time, these people are particularly in need of chiropractic adjustments.

Patients who have had back surgery are often shocked to hear that having surgery is not always going to 100% give you pain relief. In fact, back surgery often doesn’t relieve symptoms as much as you would hope. Those who combine surgery with additional therapies, like chiropractic care, often have a higher satisfaction rate.

For those who have undergone back surgery recently or years ago, chiropractic care can still be a safe, gentle, and effective treatment for ongoing, chronic pain. When you have undergone surgical fusion, or have rods or screws in your spine, those spinal segments have been surgically immobilized and can no longer be treated with adjustments. However, after a thorough review of your medical records and post-surgical images, our doctors can help create a detailed treatment plan that will greatly benefit you. This treatment plan will be designed to treat the spine above and below the fused segments, as these areas are now under an extra load of stress and are more susceptible to injury.

We believe it is very important to monitor the structure and motion of the spine post-surgery and provide care to patients who seek pain relief. Please speak to one of our doctors if you have any questions about Moving Forward from back surgery.