Medication, contrary to common belief, is not the most effective solution to neck pain according to a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.  Rather chiropractic treatment proved more effective than both medication and exercise.

Chiropractor Point Pleasant specialists, for example, use chiropractic care in conjunction with physical therapy and other treatments to relieve pain in patients.

Chiropractors, according to the Association of Chiropractic Colleges, focus on the relationship between the body’s main structures, and do not prescribe drugs or perform surgery.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and it tracked 272 patients that had recently begun experiencing neck pain. Patients were either treated by a chiropractor, prescribed a simple exercise plan, or were prescribed medication. The patients treated by a chiropractor had the highest success rate with 32 percent reporting that they had fully relieved their pain. Of the patient who exercised 30 percent said their pain was gone and only 13 percent of the patients treated with medication said they were no longer experiencing painful symptoms.

The exercises that were prescribed to the patients in this study were simple, explained through instructional photos, and designed to be performed at home.

To learn more about visiting a chiropractor for pain relief and management visit the North East Spine and Sports Medicine physical therapy Ocean County homepage.