Which factors are linked to symptoms after posterior neck surgery?
A meta-analysis found associations with preoperative neck pain and several surgical or anatomical features. These associations do not establish what causes postoperative symptoms.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Preoperative neck pain and several features involving surgical structures were associated with postoperative axial symptoms. Greater postoperative neck movement and a larger preoperative neck curvature angle were associated with lower odds. These findings identify patterns in the included studies, but they do not demonstrate that changing any factor would prevent symptoms.
The authors describe the available research as scarce. The abstract does not specify symptom definitions, follow-up periods, or whether estimates accounted for other patient and surgical characteristics.
What researchers found
Axial symptoms in relation to preoperative neck pain
An association was reported after posterior cervical surgery; the precise reference category and follow-up interval were not specified in the abstract.
Several features were associated
The review linked symptoms with preoperative pain, damage to facet joints, and certain other surgical features. Because these were associations, the findings do not establish that a specific surgical choice caused the symptoms.
Other factors showed no association
Age, gender, operation time, blood loss, and disease type were among the factors without reported associations. That does not prove they can never matter; the abstract provides limited detail about how those results were estimated.
The original publication
Risk factors of axial symptoms after posterior cervical spine surgery: a meta-analysis.
Zhang K, Xiong Z, Zhang Y et al.
BMC Surg · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40841893
- Record checked
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