Title: Spinal Manipulation, Medication, or Home Exercise With Advice for Acute and Subacute Neck Pain
A ChiroSecure Research Update
Abstract:
To determine the relative efficacy of spinal manipulation therapy (SMT), medication, and home exercise with advice (HEA) for acute and subacute neck pain in both the short and long term.
Discussion:
Randomized, controlled trial. 1 university research center and 1 pain management clinic in Minnesota. 272 persons aged 18 to 65 years who had nonspecific neck pain for 2 to 12 weeks. 12 weeks of SMT, medication, or HEA.
For pain, SMT had a statistically significant advantage over medication after 8, 12, 26, and 52 weeks (P ≤ 0.010), and HEA was superior to medication at 26 weeks (P = 0.02). No important differences in pain were found between SMT and HEA at any time point. Results for most of the secondary outcomes were similar to those of the primary outcome.
Conclusion:
For participants with acute and subacute neck pain, SMT was more effective than medication in both the short and long term. However, a few instructional sessions of HEA resulted in similar outcomes at most time points.
Reference:
Gert Bronfort, DC, PhD, Roni Evans, DC, MS, Alfred V. Anderson, DC, MD, Kenneth H. Svendsen, MS, Spinal Manipulation, Medication, or Home Exercise With Advice for Acute and Subacute Neck Pain. Annals of Internal Medicine, Jan. 3, 2012. https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-156-1-201201030-00002