Neck Wrenching Pain and Stiffness

How many times have you woken up in the morning with "a crick in your neck" or pain so bad that you just want to roll back over and go to sleep? You are not alone, it's estimated that 70% of people will have neck pain at some point in their lives. Neck pain is not only a literal pain in our necks but it can also effect productivity and our quality of life too. Many of those people will ignore their neck pain but some will get treatment from a doctor or other health care practitioner. But how do you know what treatment is right for you?

In a recent study published by the annals of Internal Medicine in January of 2012, researchers looked at treatments such as medication, home exercise, and spinal manipulative therapy (chiropractic adjustments) to find out what is most effective in the treatment of acute and subacute neck pain. 272 participants with neck pain for 2-12 weeks were assigned to treatment group for 12 weeks and then results were measured for short and long term effectiveness over 52 weeks. Read the full study.

So what did those results show? After 12 weeks of treatment, the spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) group had a greater reduction in pain that the medication group. In addition, the SMT treatment group showed greater reduction in pain than both the home exercise and medication groups at 52 weeks. The SMT group also reported higher global improvement, patient satisfaction with care, and assessed physical function than the medication group. The home exercise group also showed a greater reduction in pain than medication and after 12 weeks a higher percentage of participants reported pain reduction of at least 75% over medication.

So this tells us that in cases of acute or sub-acute neck pain, spinal manipulative therapy is superior to medication in short and long term situations for pain reduction, global improvement, patient satisfaction with care, and physical function. Home exercise is also a valuable tool and faired better than medication in pain reduction in short and long term use as well as having a higher patient satisfaction rating.

So if you do have neck pain, talk to your doctor about referring you to a chiropractor or to another specialist for some home exercises! Your local chiropractor would be more than happy to talk to your medical doctor if there are any concerns with treatment.

Superbowl Sunday!

Football players that are taking the field today understand the importance of chiropractic in their daily lives, and even more so when on game day. They use chiropractic before and during the game to ensure proper biomechanics and free joint mobility so that they can perform at their best.
Read more here about how the Giants and Patriots are using chiropractic to enhance their game.
Read more here about Dr. Rob DeStafano, the Giants Team Chiropractor.


Chiropractic is a health care profession that focuses on the musculoskeletal system. The musculoskeletal system is made up of all the muscles, nerves, and bones in your body. Chiropractors focus on making sure that your bones (this includes your spine, extremities, jaw, and even the bones of your skull) are able to move freely and properly to ensure that your body can function properly without causing degeneration or exacerbating health problems further. For example, osteoarthritis is frequently found in the knee and is caused by improper joint space and mobility that can lead to calcium buildup and pain in the knees. In addition, by aligning the joints of the body the normal muscle tone can be restored which can lead to less soreness and increased flexibility and nerve function can also be improved due to decreased inflammation and compression on nerve roots that travel through the spine and other joints. Chiropractic is not just for your bones! It helps your muscles and your nervous system as well! 


Chiropractors use their hands (and sometimes handheld instruments) to aid in an adjustment of your bones. The adjustment helps to realign and restore proper joint movement to the segment or joint that isn't moving properly. Adjustments are a low force and high speed technique that chiropractors use to restore alignment. Some people may experience a popping sound that is caused by gases within the joint being released when an adjustment takes place, but that is not always the case. Chiropractors can adjust the bones in many different ways, such as sitting in a chair or laying on a specialized chiropractic table. Due to the numerous ways to adjust, chiropractors can tailor their treatments to a specific individual and their needs. 


Chiropractors are also able to perform physical therapy, spinal decompression, massage, acupuncture, kinesiotaping, and even cold laser treatments in their offices as well. (Most of these procedures require additional testing and licensure depending on the state they practice in. Check with your local chiropractor so see what additional services they offer in their office.) Many of these other procedures focus on restoring muscle function and tone to make sure that the bones and muscles are working together for optimum body function.


Chiropractors can help with spine and joint pain and some have even reported improvements or resolution of problems such as torticollis or wry neck, Bell's Palsy, neck pain, back pain, neuropathy such as pain into the arms and legs, pregnancy pain, hormonal imbalances, infertility, migraines, headaches, ADD and ADHD, behavioral disorders, Arnold Chiari malformation symptoms, tempormandibular joint pain, shoulder pain, elbow pain, golfer or tennis elbow, wrist or hand pain, carpal tunnel, hip pain, knee pain, ankle or foot pain, digestive issues, lung function, immune function, improved posture and scoliosis, and some have even reported improvement in disc herniations before and after surgery.


If you have any questions about this article or wish to discuss about what chiropractic can do for you, send me an email or leave a comment. I am also open to engaging in speaking events about what chiropractic is and how it can help you.