Almost everyone experiences neck pain from time to time during their lives. Doctors estimate that on any given day, 10% of the adult population is suffering from a “stiff neck.” However, it’s a different story when that neck pain persists and becomes chronic. Chronic neck pain can result in both physical and emotional distress. 

Employment statistics suggest that neck pain is second only to back pain as a cause of missed work, affecting as much as 45% of the workforce. If you have experienced chronic neck pain yourself, you may know that traditional medical doctors offer relatively few treatment options. You may also know that most of these options are intended only to manage the pain, not to address the underlying cause.

However, recent research suggesting that chiropractic adjustments significantly improves patients’ neck pain in a short amount of time. In the study, 60 patients with chronic non-specific neck pain received spinal manipulation delivered by chiropractors in a double-blind, randomized trial.  This study’s findings correspond with an earlier study that compared the effectiveness of manual therapies provided by a chiropractor, a medical doctor, and a physical therapist to relieve neck pain. In that study, the success rate of the chiropractic groups at the seven-week mark was two times better (68.3%) than the other two groups. 

The recent findings also correspond to a survey of alternative health care treatments conducted by Consumer Reports. One in four respondents felt that they received better care from their chiropractors than from their medical doctors. More importantly, in this survey, chiropractic care outperformed all other treatments for both back pain (65% reporting that it “helped a lot”) and neck pain (64% similarly reporting that it “helped a lot”). 

Whether your neck pain is acute or chronic, perhaps you should put your chiropractor at the top of the list of medical specialists to consult. Chiropractic care is safe, gentle, and-above all-it works.

At New Leaf Chiropractic, we offer chiropractic care and massage therapy to alleviate the symptoms associated with neck pain. Please call 303-776-6767 today to see how we can help you with neck pain.