Neck pain causes discomfort and disability for millions of Americans each year. Pain in the cervical spine may come from many things like trauma, poor posture, stress and aging. In fact, the pain and disability can be so alarming that you may be tempted to reach for potentially harmful medications to quell your symptoms. Is that the best option? Well according to research, the answer is a resounding NO. In research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, it was found that chiropractic treatment was better at reducing pain than medications like aspirin, ibuprofen or even narcotics.
In fact, the difference was significant. After 12 weeks, the people in the Chiropractic group did significantly better than those taking medication. 57% of the chiropractic group reported at least a 75 percent reduction in pain, compared to 33 percent of the people in the medication group. As a side note, chiropractic care was also more effective than the exercise group in which 48% also showed a 75% reduction in pain at 12 weeks. What would have happened if they combined these simple exercise with Chiropractic like we do in the office? My guess, the results would be even better. Even more impressive, the Chiropractic group was better than the medication group even after a year!
For those of you wondering, the chiropractic group received an average of 15 treatments to achieve that success. That is an average treatment period for uncomplicated neck pain. The exercise group was instructed to perform simple exercises for 5 to 10 repetitions of each exercise up to 6 to 8 times per day.
Have these findings stood the test of time? Yes, they have indeed. In 2015, The Cochrane group concluded, “Multiple cervical manipulation sessions may provide better pain relief and functional improvement than certain medications at immediate / intermediate / long-term follow-up.” (2)
If you need help, contact or office at 856-983-8889. With offices in Marlton and Thorofare, we can make your experience convenient and pain free!
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