September, 2014 byAlma Abell

Studies show that chiropractic medicine is the most effective treatment for neck pain. Although not as common as back pain, neck pain is a common complaint for Chiropractic in Saltillo MS. An estimated 10-15% of the general population is increasing, suffering from some kind of pain or stiffness in the neck. Neck pain can be caused by several factors: stress, trauma, sprains, nerve entrapment, changes in the intervertebral disc, etc. Although most of the described diseases are not severe, they can cause neck pain and much discomfort that dramatically affect quality of life.

Neck pain can also lead to loss of productivity at work. A 1996 survey by Louis Harris & Associates found that nearly 20 million American workers suffer from neck pain not related to work. The same survey showed that nearly 70 percent of employers believe that pain affects employee performance, and 61 percent believe that it negatively affects morale. The neck pain can be attributed to sports injuries, bad sleeping habits, etc.

The most popular therapies for treating neck pain include chiropractic, physical therapy and the use of analgesics and muscle relaxants (prescribed by doctors or otherwise). A new study published April 26 in the British Medical Journal compared the effectiveness and cost of these forms of treatment, and concluded that chiropractic therapy is “more effective and cheaper” than physical therapy and conventional medicine. After seven weeks, the rate of improvement in manual therapy group was 68 percent, compared to 51 percent and 36 percent with physiotherapy and drugs, respectively.

The use of drugs to relieve pain was lower in the group receiving chiropractic adjustments. During the monitoring period, which was 52 weeks, 37 percent of patients treated with chiropractic had to take some kind of drug, compared to almost 97 percent of physiotherapy treatments. In addition, patients who received adjustments reported less time lost at work due to neck pain. Patients in the chiropractic group lost an average of 1.3 days of work due to neck pain within one year after treatment. Patients in the care of a general practitioner lost an average of 10.4 days. For more information on how your Chiropractic in Saltillo MS can help your neck pain, contact your local chiropractor today.