Neck pain and headaches are leading causes of pain that affect hundreds of millions of seniors worldwide. Recently, the use of chiropractic care for elderly adults with headaches and/or neck pain has been poorly understood.

Questionnaires by 288 chiropractors reveal that about 28.5% of their patients are over the age of 65. 45.5% presented with neck pain and 31.3% had co-morbid headaches. For these patients, treatment typically consisted of a combination of physical and manual therapies. Physical therapies include exercise training, traction, e-stim and/or ultrasound. Manual therapy treatments include spinal manipulation, mobilization, soft tissue therapies, and/or massage applied to the head and neck regions. On average, patients required 9 visits to achieve a satisfactory outcome. Migraine patients usually required two other visits.

The authors concluded that the chiropractors surveyed used well-established conservative techniques to effectively manage neck pain in the elderly population. Additionally, the researchers note that 82% of the patients in the study used another health service to help manage their condition.

A 2017 study between the World Health Organization (WHO) and the “Lifting the Burden” campaign emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in the management of patients with headaches. Indeed, the study cited that patients have a “clear preference” for the use of complementary and alternative treatments for headaches. Spinal manipulation is a highly effective treatment strategy. Other studies have noted that chiropractors are one of the most common provider types for patients with migraines. Nearly 1/3 of such patients seek out chiropractic care.

Chiropractic Conclusion

Patients of all ages can benefit from a multimodal approach that includes manual therapies, specific exercises, nutrition recommendations, etc. These techniques help to restore normal motion to the neck, shoulders, and upper back to reduce pain and disability.