Therapeutic exercise first-line choice for neck pain

It’s estimated that 48.5% of us will be affected with neck pain at some point in our life and that costs for treating it are approximately $20 billion per year in the United States alone. Neck pain can be caused by any number of disorders and diseases.

The most common cause is classified as mechanical malfunction, which occurs after years of normal use, overuse, and misuse. The neck supports the heavy weight of the head while still allowing it to tilt, turn, and nod easily. Decades of such use can cause neck pain for many, and recent research also found that smart-phone overuse increased the risk of neck pain by 599%, likely due to the awkward head postures it can promote.

Neck pain used to be something many people simply had to learn to live with. Recently published research provides us with important new insights about treatment for this potentially debilitating condition.

A team of international researchers assessed a select group of high-quality studies regarding the effectiveness of therapeutic exercise for patients with chronic neck pain. Therapeutic exercise proved to have good short-term and intermediate-term effects on pain and disability with no serious adverse events. Based on these findings, therapeutic exercise should be considered a first-line choice for patients with chronic neck pain. Overall, these methods are safer and more effective than medications, injections or surgery.

Before starting a therapeutic exercise program, you should consult your family medical doctor or chiropractor. Your doctor will perform an examination to determine the cause and if you are a good candidate for a therapeutic exercise program. The exam should include muscle endurance testing to measure any deficit and establish a baseline.

Based upon the results of endurance testing, a specific spinal rehabilitation program should be initiated and followed with periodic testing. Additionally, multiple research studies demonstrate that having strong endurance neck muscles reduces the risk for future episodes.

Brian Grieves is a doctor of chiropractic with a master’s in public health and a member of the Shawano Community Health Action Team. Call 715-524-8722 for information.