Evidence suggests that chiropractic care and/or light exercise is better at helping your neck pain than pain medication.
Neck pain will affect nearly two thirds of people living in the UK at some point in their lives, although this is more common once we hit middle age!
Like many disorders of the musculoskeletal system (disorders involving the muscles and joints of the body), neck pain can originate from a one-off incident, such as a car accident, or from a period of prolonged repetitive movements, such as controlling a mouse at your computer at the office.
However your neck pain originates, the study conducted by Bronfort et al, 2012, published in The Annuls of Internal Medicine, clearly shows that chiropractic care and light exercise are better forms of treatment than taking pain medication.
The study split the sample of neck pain sufferers into three groups. Group one received chiropractic treatment; group two received common pain medication; and group three received light gentle exercises.
After 12 weeks the non-medication groups did far better than those in the medication group. Only 33% of patients in the medication group reported at least a 75% reduction in pain, compared to 57% in the chiropractic group.
What’s more is that after a year, 53% the chiropractic group still reported at least 75% symptom reduction. The pain reduction for the medication group after a year was only 38%.
And to make matters worse, it was reported that the patients in the medication group continued taking their medication long after the study finished. So not only were they not getting the results they were seeking, they also ran the risk of further gastro-intestinal (stomach and the intestines) complications too!
So however your neck pain originates, studies prove that chiropractic care is very effective in helping you to reduce those painful symptoms and return to a normal pain-free life.
Call the clinic today if you feel that chiropractic may be more suited to helping your neck pain.
See you soon!
Reference
Brontfort, G; Evans, R; Anderson, AV; Svendsen, KH; Bracha, Y; Grimm, RH. Spinal Manipulation, Medication, or Home Exercise With Advice for Acute and Subacute Neck Pain: A Randomised Trial. Annuls of Internal Medicine 2012 (Jan 3); 156 (1 Pt 1): 1-10