According to The American Academy of Pain Medicine, more Americans suffer with chronic pain than diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancer combined. What's more, neck pain is the third most reported type of pain, beat out only by back pain and headaches.
As a result, many patients come to our Aloha / Beaverton, OR office looking for neck pain treatment, and Oregon Medical Centers PC has helped many of them find relief. This is a smart decision, as some studies have shown that over 90% of neck pain patients benefit from chiropractic.
A study published in The Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy involved 64 men and women who were suffering with neck problems. Approximately 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, while the experimental group also received thoracic spine adjustments.
Information was gathered before treatment began and one week post-treatment. The authors found that 94 percent of the experimental group reported "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, showing 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 participants between the ages of 18 and 60 who were suffering with neck pain. Each individual was randomly allocated to one of two groups--thoracic spine thrust manipulation or non-thrust manipulation--with examinations occurring two and four days after the adjustments.
Researchers discovered that the study participants who received the thrust manipulations (the same manipulations that offered such positive results in the first report) "experienced greater reductions in disability" than the group that received the non-thrust adjustments. Their pain was lower as well, which shows that this type of technique offers many benefits.
One study also found the same kind of positive outcomes after thoracic adjustments in a patient who had a failed neck surgical procedure. This particular case involved a 46-year-old woman who had recently had neck surgery but still reported neck pain, headaches, pain in her elbow, and muscle fatigue.
The patient documented reduced pain in her neck and reduced headache intensity, immediately after the first chiropractic treatment session. After six weeks of care, which involved chiropractic, exercise, and patient education, the patient still rated 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 prove the advantages of chiropractic adjustments, even if you've already attempted neck surgery that didn't provide relief. So, if you are dealing with neck problems and would like to find a remedy that has a high success rate, try chiropractic. It may just be the help you're looking for.
Our office is in Aloha / Beaverton, OR and Oregon Medical Centers PC can help you recover from neck pain. Give us a call today at (503) 642-2845.
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