People have asked me “if someone has had back surgery, can they still have chiropractic care?”  The very simple answer is “Yes!”  The specific technique that I use, Activator, is great for post back surgery patients.  It’s a very gentle technique that doesn’t utilize a lot of force.  The patient is able to stay in a face-down (prone) position throughout the entire treatment, so there’s no contorting of the spine.  Depending on the nature of the surgery, we can either work in that area or we can avoid it all together.  That’s the great thing about chiropractic.  It’s individualized care.  Each treatment plan, whether it’s a whiplash incident or a low back surgery patient, is developed to meet the specific needs of that patient.  We do not use a cookie-cutter approach to care.

One unfortunate reality of back surgery is that nearly 50% of patients that undergo back surgery will end up with their original symptoms within months to years later.  Then, they face another potential surgery.  This too common occurrence is called “Failed Back Surgery Syndrome.”  Chiropractic care may help prevent repeated back surgeries.  If chiropractic is used initially, it even has the potential to prevent back surgeries in the first place.