Experts estimate that approximately 70% of people will experience an episode of neck pain in their lifetime. There are many potential forms of treatment available. Very few has been published comparing the various treatment options available to the neck pain patient.
Neck Pain Study
In 2012, a study that involved 272 neck pain patients compared three treatment options: chiropractic, medication, and exercise. After 12 weeks of treatment, the patients who received either chiropractic care or exercise instruction reported the greatest reduction in pain. The researchers followed up with the participants progress for up to a year. They found that the patients in the chiropractic and exercise groups continued to report less pain than those in the medication group. The benefits persisted until the end of the study. The researchers concluded that participants from both the chiropractic care and exercise therapy groups had more than double the likelihood of complete pain relief than the patients in the medication group.
Quality studies on the short- and mid-term benefits of exercise and manual therapies applied to the cervical spine. Studies for patients with neck pain have been published since the 1980s. However, the benefits for the long term are not as well documented. A 2002 study followed 191 patients with chronic neck pain for 2 years. They compare spinal manipulation (SM) with and without one of two types of exercises: low-tech (and low-cost) rehabilitative exercise (LTEx) or high-tech MedX (machine assisted) rehabilitative exercises (HTEx).
Research Treatment
The research team randomly assigned the 191 patients to eleven weeks of 1 of 3 treatments. These treatment groups were SM only; SM + LTEx; or SM + HTEx. The investigators evaluated the patients at the start of the study and after five weeks of treatment. Following the conclusion of the treatment phase of the study, they receive evaluation at eleven weeks. They followed up with the patients 3, 6, 12, and 24 months later as well.
The results showed that SM + LTEx and SM + HTEx were both superior to SM alone at both one- and two-year time points. Overall, the patients in the SM + LTEx group reported the greatest pain reduction and satisfaction with care. This finding is even more important, as the care delivered to the SM + LTEx group costs less than care involving specialized, more expensive equipment.
Conclusion
It’s clear that chiropractic care that includes spinal manipulation and/or mobilization with exercise training provides the best long-term outcomes. The use of soft tissue therapies such as myofascial release, active release technique, and other modalities are best for patients with acute or chronic neck pain.
