According to The American Academy of Pain Medicine, more Americans suffer with chronic pain than diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancer combined. Furthermore, neck pain is the third most documented type of pain, beat out only by back pain and headaches.
As a result, many patients come to our Gadsden, AL office looking for neck pain care, and Gadsden Family Chiropractic has helped many of them find relief. This is a smart choice, as some research shows that over 90 percent of neck pain patients benefit from chiropractic.
A study published in The Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy included 64 people who were suffering with neck pain. Around half were placed in an experimental group and the other half were designated to a comparison group. Both received chiropractic adjustments of the neck as well as a home exercise program, while the experimental group also received thoracic spine adjustments.
Data was collected before treatment began and one week after the adjustments. The authors found that 94 percent of the experimental group reported "significantly greater improvements" in regard to pain and disability in their neck symptoms. Just 35% of the individuals who received neck adjustments showed the same level of improvement, showing that thinking about the entire spinal column is a critical part of restoring the body's normal function.
Another study posted in Physical Therapy involved 60 participants between the ages of 18 and 60 who were suffering with neck pain. Each man or woman was randomly allocated to one of two groups--thoracic spine thrust manipulation or non-thrust manipulation--with examinations occurring two and four days after the treatments.
The investigators found that the study patients who received the thrust manipulations (the same manipulations that offered such positive results in the first study) "experienced greater reductions in disability" than the patients who received the non-thrust manipulations. Their pain was lower as well, which shows that this type of technique offers many benefits.
One study also found the same kind of positive outcomes after thoracic adjustments in a woman who had a failed neck surgery. This specific case involved a 46-year-old patient who had recently had neck surgery but still experienced neck pain, headaches, pain in her elbow, and muscle fatigue.
The patient reported decreased pain in her neck and lower headache intensity, immediately after the first chiropractic treatment session. After six weeks of care, which involved chiropractic, exercise, and patient education, the patient still rated her pain at a zero on a scale of 1 to 10. Her neck disability reduced as well, with a rating score that represented that it was a "great deal better."
It is scientific studies like these that demonstrate the effectiveness of chiropractic techniques, even if you've already attempted medical procedures that didn't provide relief. So, if you are suffering with neck problems and would like to find a remedy that has a high success rate, try chiropractic. It may just be the help you're looking for.
We're located in Gadsden, AL and Gadsden Family Chiropractic can help you recover from neck pain. Give us a call today at (256) 543-3033.
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