Spinal manipulation therapy (SMT) and exercises that patients can learn to do at home are more effective than medication for relieving neck pain, both in the short and long term, according to results from a new study published in the January 2012 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Some 270 adults with current, nonspecific neck pain lasting 2 to 12 weeks were randomized to 12 weeks of spinal manipulation (performed by chiropractors), medication (NSAIDs or acetaminophen, or both, as first-line treatment), or home exercise (following two instructional sessions). Patient-rated pain improved more with spinal manipulation than with medication both during treatment and at the 1-year follow-up. The researchers found "no important differences" between the spinal manipulation and exercise groups.
The researchers conclude that taken together with previous research, their findings suggest that spinal manipulation and home exercise with advice "both constitute viable treatment options for managing acute and subacute mechanical neck pain."
Here's a summary of the study at http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/756419 ; and for full article - (Subscription required) http://click.jwatch.org/cts/click?q=227%3B67624607%3BlT9ebkF2zgEWNwUhJNFJkyq40bL2nkbWqcbCsByGrB4%3D
Of course, the medical researcher mentioned the standard fallacy that neck manipulation may cause strokes; please read about the myth of stroke following chiropractic adjustment at
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