Can lumbar surgery actually cause neck and arm pain?

Doubt it: Must likely the answer is no, however especially if you have preexisting cervical spondylosis the position of your neck during the surgical procedure may have agravated it despite the fact that the surgical team take all precutions to avoid it.

Positioning: Per existing, yet a symptomatic spinal degenerative disease sometimes becomes symptomatic during a surgical procedure, depending on positioning of the head and neck during the procedure. It is a known complication of general anesthesia and surgery of any type.