According to The American Academy of Pain Medicine, more Americans suffer with chronic pain than diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancer combined. On top of that, neck pain is the third most documented type of pain, beat out only by back problems and headaches.
As a result, many people come to our State College office looking for neck pain care, and Drs. Matt & Annie Reyes has helped many of them find relief. This is a smart choice, as some research shows that over 90 percent of neck pain patients get relief with chiropractic care.
A study published in The Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy included 64 people who were suffering with neck problems. Around half were placed in an experimental group and the other half were designated to a comparison group. Both received chiropractic adjustments of the neck as well as a home exercise plan, while the experimental group also received adjustments of the thoracic spine.
Information was gathered before treatment began and one week after the adjustments. 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 individuals who received neck adjustments showed the same level of improvement, illustrating that thinking about the entire spinal column is an important part of restoring the body's normal function.
Yet another 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 follow-up exams occurring two and four days after the treatments.
Researchers discovered that the study patients who received the thrust manipulations (the same manipulations that offered such positive results in the first report) "experienced greater reductions in disability" than the patients who received the non-thrust adjustments. Their pain was lower as well, which shows that this type of approach offers many benefits.
Another study even found the same sort of positive results after thoracic adjustments in a woman who had a failed neck surgery. This particular case involved a 46-year-old woman who had recently had neck surgery but still endured neck pain, headaches, pain in her elbow, and muscle fatigue.
The patient reported decreased pain in her neck and reduced headache intensity, immediately after the first chiropractic adjustments. 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 demonstrate the effectiveness of chiropractic techniques, even if you've already attempted medical procedures that didn't provide relief. So, if you are dealing with neck pain and would like to find a solution that has a high success rate, try chiropractic. It may just be the help you're looking for.
Our office is in State College and Drs. Matt & Annie Reyes can help you recover from neck pain. Give us a call today at (814) 308-9352.
References
Dr. Matt Reyes was born and raised in Apalachin, a small town in Upstate New York. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology with a concentration in Fitness Development from the State University at New York College at Cortland. He then fulfilled his ambition to become a Doctor of Chiropractic when he graduated from New York Chiropractic College in 2013.
