Post Spinal Surgery Patient with Neck Pain and Headaches Helped by Chiropractic

The Journal of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research published the results of a case study on March 10, 2025, that documented the resolution of neck pain and headaches in a patient who had previously had spinal neck surgery.

According to the American Society of Spine Surgery, an estimated 132,000 Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF) surgeries are performed in the United States each year. Healthline states that between 73 to 83 percent of people who had ACDF surgery for neck pain reported positive results. This means that between 17% and 27% do not report positive results. However, long-term results statistics are harder to find as most of these ACDF surgeries are considered successful if they give short term relief, so long-term improvement rates are probably smaller.

In this case, a 52-year-old woman, who had previously had ACDF surgery went to a chiropractor seeking help for her pain. At that time, the woman was suffering with constant, dull neck pain with daily headaches. She described her neck pain as severe with a rating of 7 out of 10 with 10 being the worst. She also was suffering with muscle spasms and headaches that were getting progressively worse over the previous four weeks. Her pain was not responding to any of the natural remedies she was using. She did, however, see some temporary relief from lateral stretching of her neck.

A chiropractic examination and x-rays were performed. The results of these tests showed that vertebral subluxations were present in her spine. A vertebral subluxation is when one or more of the bones of your spine (vertebrae) move out of position and create pressure on, or irritate spinal, or other related nerves. The result of subluxation is an alteration in the transmission of normal nerve impulses that can result in malfunctions within the body or pain.

A care plan focused on specific chiropractic adjustments for the correction of subluxations that were present. The result of this care was that the patient experienced a reduction in pain intensity and improvement in range of motion in just four weeks of care. The study reported that these benefits continued to be present at a three-month follow-up period with a reduced frequency of her chiropractic adjustments.

In the conclusion the study author wrote, "This clinical scenario involves a female patient exhibiting persistent and deteriorating neck pain and headaches alongside a medical background that includes a past posterior surgical fusion procedure at the C5-C6 vertebral level. The patient experienced improvement through a combination of chiropractic interventions…"