Natural Care Beats Painkillers in Neck Pain Relief
Neck pain is an extremely common problem which, along with back pain, often leads to disability-like effects. Generally it is not known how to effectively approach neck pain, which affects nearly 70% of people at some point in their lives. So pain medications like aspirin, ibuprofen, or narcotics are often turned to instead. But there are much better and safer solutions available than harmful pain medications – chiropractic care and physical therapy.
Chiropractic and Physical Therapy Better Than Drugs at Relieving Neck Pain
A study was recently conducted comparing various treatments for neck pain, which many doctors for some reason believe has no treatment. The researchers gathered 272 participants for the study, where each individual had neck pain with no particular cause. The single group was then divided into 3 groups, and each group was followed for 3 months.
Two of the groups followed a similar protocol, while one deviated from the others. To treat the neck pain, one group received chiropractic care 15 times for 20-minute sessions over the course of the 3 months. Another group met with physical therapists twice, where the group participants were asked to perform simple, gentle exercises for the neck in their own homes. Lastly, the remaining group was assigned to take some type of pain reliever, whether it be an acetaminophen-based drug or a stronger drugs like narcotics and muscle relaxants.
Over the course of the study trial, both groups not taking the drugs showed significantly better improvements than the group taking the drugs. In this particular study, only 33 percent of the people reported a 75 percent reduction in pain stemming from medication use.
About 57 percent of those receiving chiropractic care and 48 percent of those who met with physical therapists, however, reported the same 75 percent reduction in pain. Even after checking back with the patients a year later, the natural approaches were still reported to have a more positive and lasting impact than ingesting medications.
Of course those taking the medications had to continue taking them regularly for any relief. By taking and subscribing to these medications on a regular basis you are disempowering yourself, making it so you play no active role in your own care. Many individuals think powerful pain medication is the only option, but other solutions such as meditation have the power to beat morphine in relieving pain.
Needless to say, even low doses of common pain medications can lead to a multitude of health problems, including drug dependencies.
Wow, not only does Chiropractic care beat drugs but it doesn't have side effects. I just wish the main stream media and people would wake up and see how harmful these types of drugs are. It's like their brain washed that the drugs are okay.
Neck pain, I can tell you about neck pain. It's one of the reasons I'm on SSDI. My neck was so out of whack the nurse spotted it as I was walking out the door. She stopped me and sent me down to x-ray and told me not to leave before the it was read. When the report came back she put me in therapy right away. I went down to PT and they put 2 therapist with me. One working my neck, and one just watching my face to make sure the one working my neck didn't kill me. I had been going thru all kinds of of test to figure out why I shut off my heart when the nurse practitioner noticed my neck. This was back when you didn't see the Dr. personally. 2 weeks later when the Dr. finally read the report he called my cell phone and told me to meet him in the ER. I asked why and he said your "neck is in a life threatening position. " I was pinching the nerve that tells your heart to beat.
Chiropractic could also consider as a the best pain killer but some experts said that it is also good treatment for any bone fracture.
I am a senior citizen, Chiropractic and Massage therapy is very expensive in Ontario.
Not covered by health care.My neck pain comes and goes. Tylenol does not do a thing. Can not take Advil. Any suggestions?