Chiropractic Manipulation for Neck Pain

Research has shown that chiropractic manipulation is a safe and effective treatment option for patients with neck pain and headaches.

In 2007, a study looked patients with neck pain who saw a chiropractor for treatment.  As you can see in the graph below, the first bar indicates the average pain on their first visit, the 2nd bar indicates the pain level on the 2nd visit and the last bar indicates the pain level on the 4th visit.  There is a dramatic decrease of symptoms, even after only one chiropractic manipulation (1).

neck1

Chiropractic manipulation also is very effective when used to manage migraine headache symptoms commonly associated with neck pain.  A study by Tuchin et al. showed that chiropractic manipulation decreased the migraine frequency, duration, disability and medication with little side effects.  The chart below shows the number of migraine episodes before starting treatment on the right and after treatment on the left.  The blue bar indicates the results of the manipulation group and the pink bar represents the results of the control group (2).

neck2

1.  Rubinstein, Leboeuf-Yde Knol, de Koekkoek, Pfeifle, van Tulder et al.  The Benefits Outweigh the Risks for Patients Undergoing Chiropractic Care for Neck Pain: A Prospective, Multi-Center, Cohort Study.  (J Manip Physiol Ther 2007;30:408-418)
2.  Tuchin, Pollard, Bonello.  A Randomized Controlled Trial of Chiropractic Spinal Manipulative Therapy for Migraine.  (J Manip Physiol Ther 2000; 23:91-95)