Sometimes you just have to go with the waves

For Neck Pain, Chiropractic and Exercise Are Better Than Drugs BY ANAHAD O'CONNOR

Seeing a chiropractor or engaging in light exercise relieves neck pain more effectively than relying on pain medication, new research shows.

The new study is one of the few head-to-head comparisons of various treatments for neck pain, a problem that affects three quarters of Americans at some point in their lives but has no proven, first-line treatment. While many people seek out spinal manipulation by chiropractors, the evidence supporting its usefulness has been limited at best.

But the new research, published in The Annals of Internal Medicine, found that chiropractic care or simple exercises done at home were better at reducing pain than taking medications like aspirin, ibuprofen or narcotics.

“These changes were diminished over time, but they were still present,” said Dr. Gert Bronfort, an author of the study and research professor at Northwestern Health Sciences University in Minnesota. “Even a year later, there were differences between the spinal manipulation and medication groups.”

Moderate and acute neck pain is one of the most frequent reasons for trips to primary care doctors, prompting millions of visits every year. For patients, it can be a difficult problem to navigate. In some cases the pain and stiffness crop up without explanation, and treatment options are varied. Physical therapy, pain medication and spinal manipulation are popular options, but Dr. Bronfort was inspired to carry out an analysis because so little research exists.

“There was a void in the scientific literature in terms of what the most helpful treatments are,” he said.

To find out, Dr. Bronfort and his colleagues recruited a large group of adults with neck pain that had no known specific cause. The subjects, 272 in all, were mostly recruited from a large HMO and through advertisements. The researchers then split them into three groups and followed them for about three months.

For Neck Pain con’t…

One group was assigned to visit a chiropractor for roughly 20-minute sessions throughout the course of the study, making an average of 15 visits. A second group was assigned to take common pain relievers like acetaminophen and — in some cases, at the discretion of a doctor — stronger drugs like narcotics and muscle relaxants. The third group met on two occasions with physical therapists who gave them instructions on simple, gentle exercises for the neck that they could do at home. They were encouraged to do 5 to 10 repetitions of each exercise up to eight times a day. (A demonstration of the exercises can be found at www.annals.org).

After 12 weeks, the people in the non-medication groups did significantly better than those taking the drugs. About 57 percent of those who met with chiropractors and 48 percent who did the exercises reported at least a 75 percent reduction in pain, compared to 33 percent of the people in the medication group.

A year later, when the researchers checked back in, 53 percent of the subjects who had received spinal manipulation still reported at least a 75 percent reduction in pain, similar to the exercise group. That compared to just a 38 percent pain reduction among those who had been taking medication.

Dr. Bronfort said it was a “big surprise” to see that the home exercises were about as effective as the chiropractic sessions. “We hadn’t expected that they would be that close,” he said. “But I guess that’s good news for patients.”

In addition to their limited pain relief, the medications had at least one other downside: people kept taking them. “The people in the medication group kept on using a higher amount of medication more frequently throughout the follow-up period, up to a year later,” Dr. Bronfort said. “If you’re taking medication over a long time, then we’re running into more systemic side effects like gastrointestinal problems.”

He also expressed concern that those on medications were not as empowered or active in their own care as those in the other groups. “We think it’s important that patients are enabled to deal with as much control over their own condition as possible,” he said. “This study shows that they can play a large role in their own care.

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Did You Know…

Chiropractic Brings Relief For Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common sources of chronic pain to afflict the

musculoskeletal system for many Americans. This ailment affects the heel by

causing it to ache with shooting pain whenever pressure is brought down upon it through the simple actions of

walking, making plantar fasciitis highly disruptive to normal daily activities. The cause of this condition are tears

in the tissue running along the bottom length of the foot, which is termed the plantar fascia ligament by medical

science. Symptoms of this painful disorder include acute pain and ongoing inflammation in the area.

While statistics estimate that around 2 million Americans are afflicted with plantar fasciitis, the causes of the

condition are known to be highly variable with a number of different factors from a broad range of possible

catalysts. One such typical origin of this painful disorder can be foot trauma brought about by a fall. Many

times, after plantar fasciitis has set in due to an injury from trauma, the person may change the way they walk,

or their gait, to avoid putting too much weight on the affected foot, and thus mitigate the amount of painful

sensations that come through the body. However, this practice can also lead to further complications over time

like misalignments within the musculoskeletal system and undue stress on various joints.

Medical science offers several different approaches to treating plantar fasciitis, however chiropractic care is the

only one that focuses on getting to the root of the problem so that a whole body recovery can begin.

When a chiropractor adjusts the musculoskeletal system with gentle treatments from the hands, stress on

particular parts of the body are reduced significantly. In the case of plantar fasciitis, stress would be removed

from the bottom of the foot. This helps the body repair damage in the area by its own natural processes

because once stress, ongoing pain, and inflammation are reduced, the body can get to work operating

normally. This entire process may require a series of treatments over the course of several visits to a

chiropractor, which gives them time to adjust the foot and heel gently so that the tightened up ligaments can be

relaxed to the degree that healing can take place. This approach also decreases the likelihood of plantar

fasciitis occurring again in the future.

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practitioners throughout the world to treat injuries and improve sports performance.

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professionals have been using it to alleviate a wide variety of ailments

What’s RockTape Used For? Achilles tendonitis Pain associated with pregnancy Postural correction Skin

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Ask us how Rock Tape can be used in your treatment program!

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August Patient of the Month- Jon D.!

Jon will receive a Gift Certificate to Healthyways as well as a Restaurant Gift Certificate to thank

him for being an exemplary patient. Look for your name here in coming months!

Product of the Month

Congratulations to

Dr. Kate on her recent marriage! We wish you

the very best!

And congrats to Kasandra on being a new aunt!

What a blessing to have a new family addition.

“The most valuable lessons in life do not come when you are

walking or running. They come when you fall down. You

better take them and rise up!” ― Israelmore Ayivor

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Want to Help End Alzheimer’s?

Walk to End Alzheimer’s On Saturday October 13th in Downtown Pittsburgh!

You Can Support The Healthyways Team that will be walking to do our part in

donating to The Alzheimer’s Association! Please donate or think about joining the

walk!

Visit the Alzheimer’s Association Website for more details and to sign up!

Please Join Us in Welcoming Healthyways Integrated Wellness Newest Team Member!

Dr. Patti Metosky

Dr. Metosky received her BSN at Adelphi University in Long Island and received her MSN and Certification as a Nurse Practitioner at the University of Pgh. She also received her Ph.D in Developmental Psychology with a speciality in Applied Behavioral Analysis. While working in a multidisciplinary team with children with

multiple congenital and physical anomalies, she developed an interest in physical medicine. She has worked with chiropractors and physicians for the past 5 years with a concentration in providing direct

treatment to children and adults with varying musculoskeletal disorders by administrating lidocaine therapy and providing adjunct stretching and physical rehabilitation to enhance life quality of her patients.

When not working, Dr. Patti grounds herself with interests, including her children and friends, gardening,

and yoga. She is a true “foodie” and loves to cook and go out to novel restaurants, stating that her favorite restaurant is the one she hasn’t tried.

Dr. Patti will be providing General Medical Services

• A variety of urgent care needs • Treatment of injuries resulting from auto accidents, general accidents, overuse, overexertion, or trauma • Cold, flu, and sinus infection treatment • Headache management • Pain management measures • Ankle and foot pain treatment • Medically supervised weight loss • Taping, Bracing, and Durable Medical Equipment

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