
Acupuncture May Be the Help You Need for Neck Pain
Neck pain is an issue that affects millions of people across the world alone. Unfortunately, there are so many disparate causes of neck pain. Short of surgery, many neck pain patients feel it is almost impossible to cure because of its reputation. Many of these people feel that strong pain medication or a same day weed delivery from CAFE for medicinal marijuana to be the only means of mitigating their pain. Fortunately, a recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine has shown a potential solution.
According to the study, the use of acupuncture can lead to greater reductions in pain. It also boasts a higher rate of recovery than those receiving standard treatments.
Acupuncture vs. Standard Treatment
The study looked at 517 patients with a neck pain lasting 6 years on average. It looked at the results of sessions of acupuncture along with typical neck pain treatment vs. typical neck pain treatment by itself. The patients were asked to measure their pain according to:
- Chronic Pain Self-Efficacy Scale
- their quality of life,
- and secondary outcomes including adverse effects of the treatments.
The average number of treatments for patients who got them was 10.
The results of the study were nothing short of remarkable because the acupuncture treatments were shown to reduce neck pain. Injuries associated with the neck pain were also reduced. In both the standard care and the treatment groups, no serious injury events were reported. The treatment group was shown to have around 32% less pain than the standard treatment group, which had an average of 9% less pain (through both exercise and physical therapy).
The Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine publication published a study in 2012 with close to eighteen thousand patients suffering from chronic pain. Acupuncture treatments were able to give better pain outcomes than both standard care and sham acupuncture, as this study was able to prove. Sham acupuncture being the placement of needles in random places in the body. It was used in this case as a control against the placebo affect.
Recommendations
For those with neck pain, ultimately, short of surgery, adding acupuncture to your treatment plan may be the best option. It is non-invasive, safe, and has been shown to provide a great deal of benefit with no downsides. Compared with invasive treatments for neck pain, acupuncture is much a better choice. Why seek out steroid injections or NSAIDs? When acupuncture is shown to have no overall downsides for the body. The studies have shown that they are a viable and effective alternative to typical neck pain treatments.
If you have been experiencing neck pain, you have nothing to lose by looking into acupuncture as a potential solution. See your health provider, chiropractor, or acupuncturist for a health screening. And consider a few treatments to solve your neck problems for good. Neck pain can be hard to live with because it causes constant strain on the body. A way to remove that struggle from life would be a welcome gift for most. With that in mind, acupuncture treatments could be the solution to your problems. Why not see what it can do for you?
BY: Dr. Michael Newman
Acupuncture, Pain, Workplace Injury
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