According to The American Academy of Pain Medicine, more people in the US suffer with chronic pain than diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancer combined. In addition, neck pain is the third most documented type of pain, beat out only by back pain and headache.
As a result, a lot of patients come to our North St. Louis, MO office looking for neck pain treatment, and Dr. Holland has helped many of them find relief. This is a smart decision, as some research shows that over 90 percent of neck pain patients improve with chiropractic.
A study published in The Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy included 64 individuals 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 were given chiropractic adjustments of the neck as well as a home exercise program, whereas the experimental group also received thoracic spine adjustments.
Information was gathered before treatment began and one week post-treatment. Researchers found that 94 percent of the experimental group claimed "significantly greater improvements" in regard to pain and disability in their neck symptoms. Just 35% of the patients who received neck adjustments showed the same level of improvement, illustrating that thinking about the entire spine is an important part of restoring the body's normal function.
One more study posted in Physical Therapy involved 60 adults who reported suffering with neck pain. Each individual was randomly assigned to one of two groups--thoracic spine thrust manipulation or non-thrust manipulation--with follow-up exams occurring two and four days after the treatments.
Researchers discovered that the study patients who received the thrust manipulations (the same adjustments that provided 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 approach offers many benefits.
Another study even found the same kind of positive results after thoracic adjustments in a woman who had a failed neck surgery. This particular case involved a 46-year-old woman who had recently had neck surgery but still endured neck pain, headaches, pain in her elbow, and muscle fatigue.
The woman reported reduced pain in her neck and lower headache intensity, immediately after the first chiropractic adjustments. After six weeks of care, which involved chiropractic, exercise, and patient education, the patient still placed her pain at a zero on a scale of 1 to 10. Her neck disability improved as well, with a rating score that represented that it was a "great deal better."
It is studies like these that substantiate the advantages of chiropractic adjustments, 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 solution that has a high success rate, try chiropractic. It may just be the help you're looking for.
Our office is in North St. Louis, MO and Dr. Holland can help you recover from neck pain. Give us a call today at (314) 588-9100.
References