Pain in the Neck?

I am not referring to a metaphor but an actual physical pain in the neck. Tightness in the neck and shoulders abounds in our society. A friend of mine, Eri Crum D.C., MPH, recently wrote in the newsletter for his Boise Spine Center about a paper in the Journal of Rheumatology on treating neck disorders. I don’t know about you but I tend to treat a stiff neck with a little heat, maybe some stretches and sometimes an over-the-counter anti-inflamatory. If it really persists I may go to my favorite chiropractor (no, it isn’t Eri as I don’t live in Boise) or perhaps get a massage. Turns out any one of those by itself is unlikely to solve the problem.

Research says that you need to combine modalities to have a real impact. The paper Eri reported on analyzed existing research on neck pain and reported if there was strong, moderate, limited or no evidence of benefit from various modalities including manual therapies, physical medicine methods, medication, and patient education.

In summarizing the results of the paper, Eri reports, First, the only method that revealed “strong evidence” for reducing neck pain, improving neck function, and resulting in favorable global assessment was a multimodal approach combining strengthening/stretching exercises and mobilization/manipulation procedures. Conspicuously absent: medical or pharmaceutical therapies of any kind. The second important point is that most of the “passive” therapies – manipulation alone, massage alone, some forms of medications alone, etc. fell under the category of “evidence of no benefit”.

What this tells us is that it is crucial for patients to take an active role in the healing process, and a combination of mobilization/manipulation techniques must be complemented with exercises and stretches for the best chance of reducing mechanical neck pain.

So, the next time you are looking for relief from a real pain in the neck, consider working with a health care professional and using a 'multi-modal' approach.