It isn't uncommon to see neck pain patients in our Downtown St. Louis, MO office, and Dr. Holland helps treat a number of them. While it may seem like a lot of visits would be necessary in order to produce such positive results, a great deal of our patients experience relief in just one visit, which is the same effect that has been found in several research studies.
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 therapy was helpful to those who deal 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 therapy 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.
An additional study has found long term positive effects of chiropractic care 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.
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 vital in promoting a higher quality of life at home and work.
To find out what Dr. Holland can do to help you lessen your neck pain, call our office in Downtown St. Louis, MO 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
We have a long-standing track record or helping people get out of pain with chiropractic care. Whether you were injured last week, or have been suffering from chronic pain for years - It might only take one visit to our office in Downtown Saint Louis, MO to get you back on the path to everyday health.
