A new article from The Annals of Internal Medicine (AIM) that focused on the effectiveness of various treatments for neck pain is getting a lot of press these days, so I figured it was a good time to talk a little bit about various aspects of this condition.
Neck pain is a fairly common complaint that I see in my office, it can range from mildly annoying to completely disabling. Causes vary as well, from strains / sprains from car accidents to disc herniations and arthritis and even shoulder problems! One thing that can be said about most types of neck pain is that they tend to respond very well to chiropractic care and simple exercises.
As I had mentioned about the lumbar spine, the cervical spine had to give up bony stability in order to provide flexibility and mobility of the skull. Unfortunately, this means that our necks are a bit more suceptible to the pain causing conditions that I listed above. Left untreated these conditions can lead to chronic neck pain, headaches, decreased ability to do everyday tasks and depression. However fixing these problems is as simple as getting evaluated and starting care right away!
In the AIM study it was shown that long term benefits from chiropractic care and home exercise for neck pain far exceeded that of over the counter pain meds like Tyleonol® as well as stronger drugs like narcotic pain killers and muscle relaxants. With this new evidence at hand it seems like a no brainer when it comes to deciding where to seek care for neck problems. So ditch the creams and pills and call me or your local chiropractor today to get out of pain and on the road to wellness!
Be well.
Also, if you want a link for the exercises described in the study give us a call or shoot an email over to the clinic and we would be glad to discuss if you are healthy enough to begin an unsupervised exercise program.