In an ABC Broadcast – Diane Sawyer –
Watch the Video on Youtube –
Neck Pain: Chiropractors, Exercise Better Than Medication, Study Says (Video)
The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, followed 272 patients with recent neck pain who were treated using three different professions:
- Medications
- Physical Therapy – Home Exercise
- Chiropractic Adjustments
After 12 weeks the patients who used a chiropractor or exercised were almost 3 times as likely to be pain free compared to those who relied on medicine
“Doesn’t surprise me a bit,” Dr. Lee Green, professor of family medicine at the University of Michigan told ABC News. “Neck pain is a mechanical problem, and it makes sense that mechanical treatment works better than a chemical one.” (aka chiropractic care)
Conclusion of the Study – Per the New York Times on Chiropractic & Neck pain
“After 12 weeks, the people in the non-medication groups did significantly better than those taking the drugs. About 57 percent of those who met with chiropractors and 48 percent who did the exercises reported at least a 75 percent reduction in pain, compared to 33 percent of the people in the medication group.
A year later, when the researchers checked back in, 53 percent of the subjects who had received spinal manipulation still reported at least a 75 percent reduction in pain, similar to the exercise group. That compared to just a 38 percent pain reduction among those who had been taking medication.
In addition to their limited pain relief, the medications had at least one other downside: people kept taking them. “The people in the medication group kept on using a higher amount of medication more frequently throughout the follow-up period, up to a year later,” Dr. Bronfort said. “If you’re taking medication over a long time, then we’re running into more systemic side effects like gastrointestinal problems.”
Try chiropractic today.
Yours in Health,
Dr. Trace Palmer
Peter @ MoreApplesADay
/ January 9, 2012Yes, medicine often only treats the symptoms and lets the underlying problem continue its underlying and briefly hidden dominance. Lifestyle habits (diet, exercise, stress, environmental factors, etc…) are usually the culprits and they should be eliminated first.
Arlington Heights Chiropractor
/ January 9, 2012This is a great study! It’s good to see that it has been publicized so more people will know how effective chiropractic care is for neck pain.
Christopher Lauria
/ January 14, 2012This is awesome information. So many people just take medication for their neck pain and it does not address the cause of the problem. It is clear that these methods address the cause and correct it
John
/ March 25, 2013I feel it is high time that we should get adapted to these types of practices or exercises instead of being dependent on medicines all the time. Thank for sharing this blog with us.