Posts Tagged "neck injury"

Medicine or Chiropractic Adjustment for Neck Pain?

Posted by Dr. Wirtz on Feb 28, 2012 in Blog, Drug Free Treatment, Health Tips | 0 comments

What gives you a pain in your neck?  Maybe it’s your job, maybe it’s something else, but either way, you’re not alone.  Almost 75% of our population will have neck pain at some point in their life, and the possibilities for treatments are nearly as varied as the causes.  However, most people usually turn to medication first to try and fix their neck pain.  But recent research is casting doubts on that habit, suggesting that there are safer and more effective alternatives available.

This month the journal “Annals of Internal Medicine” published a study comparing the effectiveness of chiropractic adjustments, medication, and exercise for subacute neck pain.  In this study, over 300 people with neck pain were divided into three groups for a 12 week course of treatment.  One group received chiropractic adjustments.  The second group received medication as prescribed by a medical doctor.  The third group was assigned a series of home exercises to complete.  After 12 weeks pain levels and functional measurements were taken and follow up measurements were also recorded 6 months and 1 year following the end of the treatment.

The results of this study found that both chiropractic adjustment and the exercise groups did better than the medication group.  However, the chiropractic adjustment group did the best overall and was significantly better than the medication group.  Also, the most serious side effects were seen in the medication group, with 60% of patients reporting side effects of some kind.

Therefore the conclusions of this study suggest that chiropractic adjustments are the safest and most effective treatment for subacute neck pain, followed closely by exercise. So if you can’t get rid of that pain in your neck on your own, chiropractic adjustments can help you get to the root of the problem.

1. Bronfort G, Evans R,AndersonAV, Svendsen KH, Bracha Y, Grimm RH. Spinal manipulation, medication, or home exercise with advice for acute and subacute neck pain: a randomized trial. Ann Intern Med. 2012 Jan 3;156(1 Pt 1):1-10.

Auto Injuries and Whiplash

Posted by Dr. Heuser on May 24, 2011 in Blog | 0 comments

The neck is pretty flexible, but it does have its limits. Any abrupt forceful acceleration or deceleration can cause the neck to exceed these limits. This is because the head weighs between 8 and 12 pounds—if it can, it will stay in one place. So, in an abrupt change of force, the head may lag behind the body, thus pulling the neck past its healthy range of motion. This type of injury is called hyperextension or hyperflexion, but is more commonly known as whiplash.