Neck pain can be caused by trauma like an auto accident or can simply be caused by poor posture. When painkillers and muscle relaxers are not the No. 1 choice for pain relief, many other options can be explored.
Chiropractic
Chiropractic is a drug-free option for pain relief. The goal of chiropractic care is to restore normal motion to the joints, relieve strain on the muscles surrounding the joints and relieve any pressure on the nerves. Most of this is done through adjusting the joints that exhibit abnormal motion. On your first visit, a mini orthopedic exam should be performed to look at posture, range of motion and stress on the joints to look for any pain generators. If any restricted joints are found, they are adjusted. The length of the treatment plan will vary depending on the severity of the injury. Additionally some chiropractors have modalities like muscle stimulation, ultrasound and cold laser that all work to help decrease muscle pain and inflammation.
A review of the different neck manipulation studies done over the years was published in the "Cochrane Database System Review" in January 2010. The reviewers found that of the studies reviewed, manipulation of the joints in the neck was effective for decreasing pain immediately. None of the studies went on long enough to look at long-term effects.
Massage Therapy
Massage therapy is another type of hands-on therapy. The massage therapist is trained in different therapeutic tissue techniques that allow her to perform deep tissue therapy or cross friction massage to ease the tension in the neck muscles. A good therapist will get feedback from the client on how much pressure the muscles can tolerate. Massage will help to stretch and relax the muscles as well as push out any toxins in the muscles so that the toxins can be moved into the lymph tissue and out of the body. After a massage the neck should feel more relaxed and have better range of motion.
Therapeutic Exercise
Sometimes neck pain can be caused by the weakening of the deep neck muscles either from poor posture over time or the muscles being hurt during a trauma. When the deep neck muscles are not working properly, it will put strain on the outer neck muscles and will start to cause stiffness and pain. To get the deep neck muscles working again or functioning properly, they have to be worked gently and with very little force. Small bands or even isometric exercises are used to work the neck in bending forward and backwards (extension and flexion), side to side tilting (lateral flexion) and turning (rotation). Once the deep muscles are stronger, they will help support the head and decrease the strain on the outer muscles and help decrease pain. A study published in "European Medicophysiology" in March 2007 found that dynamic and isometric exercises for the neck and shoulders have long-term benefits for reducing non-specific, chronic neck pain.
References
- "Cochrane Database System Review;" Manipulation or Mobilisation for Neck Pain.; Gross, A et. al.; January 20th, 2010.
- "Quick Reference Clinical Chiropractic Conditions Manual;" Nikita Vizniak and Michael Carnes; 2004.
- "European Medicophysiology;" Physical Exercises and Functional Rehabilitation for the Management of Chronic Neck Pain; Ylinen J.; March 2007.
