Is it hard to look over your shoulder? Is there a constant pulling or throbbing pain in your neck? Do you notice a “grinding” sound as you turn your head? Chiropractic care can offer neck pain relief by treating the cause of the pain.
A popular response to neck pain is taking drugs to cover up the problem (aspirin, analgesics, pain pills) or treating its symptoms (muscle relaxers, massage, hot packs), but neck pain isn’t caused by a lack of aspirin or drugs.
The chiropractic approach to neck pain is to locate the underlying cause. This begins with a complete case history and thorough examination. Special attention is given to the structure and function of the spine and its affect on the nervous system.
Is the proper spinal curve present? Are the nerve openings between each pair of spinal bones free and clear? Is the head balanced? Are the shoulders level? These and other considerations are used to create a plan of specific chiropractic adjustments to help improve the motion and position of spinal vertebrae.
With improved structure and function, neck pain often diminishes or totally disappears – without addictive drugs or harmful side effects.
In a study funded by NIH’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine to test the effectiveness of different approaches for treating mechanical neck pain, 272 participants were divided into three groups that received either spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) from a doctor of chiropractic (DC), pain medication (over-the-counter pain relievers, narcotics and muscle relaxants) or exercise recommendations. After 12 weeks, about 57 percent of those who met with DCs and 48 percent who exercised reported at least a 75 percent reduction in pain, compared to 33 percent of the people in the medication group. After one year, approximately 53 percent of the drug-free groups continued to report at least a 75 percent reduction in pain; compared to just 38 percent pain reduction among those who took medication.
— Bronfort et al. (2012), Annals of Internal Medicine
