Chiropractic Adjustments Better for Reducing Neck Chronic Pain

It isn't uncommon to see neck pain patients in our San Angelo office, and Dr. Pittman helps treat a number of them. While it may seem like a lot of visits would be necessary in order to obtain such positive results, a great deal of our patients feel relief in just one visit, which is the same effect that has been found in several research studies.

Research Confirms Single Chiropractic Treatment Visit Helpful for Neck Pain

A comprehensive review of clinical trials involving neck pain was completed and published in The Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy. After studying all of the information available (which included six spinal manipulation trials, four spinal mobilization/non-manipulative therapy trials, and one ischemic compression trial), the authors concluded that "medium-to-high quality evidence" existed that showed that a single session of chiropractic care was helpful to those who struggle with neck pain.

This same conclusion was reached in another study which was released by The Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy. In this case, a woman who was 46 years of age had neck surgery (which involved fusion), yet still presented with pain, headaches, and muscle fatigue.

After just one session of chiropractic adjustments which focused on manipulating her thoracic spine, she reported an improvement in both her neck pain and the intensity of her headaches. This same benefit continued after each thoracic spine thrust manipulation session, with the patient stating that her pain was a zero on a 1 to 10 scale at the conclusion of the study. Long term benefits of chiropractic adjustments for neck pain have been found as well.

Chiropractic Therapy Offers Long Term Benefits for Neck Pain

An additional study has found long term positive effects of chiropractic treatment for neck pain. This particular study involved 50 adult Swiss patients with neck and arm pain due to the herniation of a disc in their neck area.

Each one engaged in chiropractic therapy using high-velocity, low-amplitude spinal manipulations, with data being collected at various intervals; namely, two weeks, one month, and three months after the study first began. At the two week mark, 55.3 percent reported improvement. That amount rose to 68.9 percent one month into the treatments, and increased again to 85.7 percent when data was collected at three months.

Why Is Chiropractic Care Significant for Neck Pain?

The Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders, which was established in 2000, has reported that "most people can expect to experience some neck pain in their lifetimes." Furthermore, annually, 11 to 14.1 percent of all workers report that pain to this particular area of their body is strong enough to limit their activities. This makes dealing with this condition important in promoting a better quality of life at home and work.

To find out what Dr. Pittman can do to help you help your neck pain, call our office in San Angelo and schedule an appointment today. Your health is our priority!

References

Halderman, S et al. (2008). The bone and joint decade 2000-2010 Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders. Spine, 33(45), S5-S7. Retrieved from http://www.foundation4chiroeducation.com/pdf/neck-pain.pdf

Peterson, CK et al. (2013, October). Outcomes from magnetic resonance imaging-confirmed symptomatic cervical disk herniation patients treated with high-velocity, low-amplitude spinal manipulative therapy: a prospective cohort study with 3-month follow-up. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 36(8), 461-467, doi: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2013.07.002 Salvatori, R et al. (2014, June). Use of thoracic spine thrust manipulation for neck pain and headache in a patient following multiple-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion: a case report. The Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy, 44(6), 440-449, doi:10.2519/jospt.2014.5026 Vernon, H & Humphreys, BK. (2008). Chronic mechanical neck pain in adults treated by manual therapy: a systematic review of change scores in randomized controlled trials of a single session. The Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy, 16(2), E42-52. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19119388