DOES CHIROPRACTIC TREATMENT FOR NECK PAIN WORK?
Neck pain and headaches are other complaints chiropractors commonly treat. A 2005 Cochrane review concluded that chiropractic manipulation for neck pain helped when combined with exercise but not when done without. This brings up the issue of risk versus benefit. Neck adjustments do present a rare risk of stroke. And if you’re not really benefiting, the questions is whether even a minimal risk is too high. WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF CHIROPRACTIC TREATMENT? Other than the rare risk of stroke from neck adjustments, the other risks of chiropractic adjustment are minimal—usually some soreness. If something isn’t improving there is a risk of missing another diagnosis, so you should see your primary-care provider. WHAT’S MY OPINION? I recommend chiropractic adjustments for many of my patients with low-back pain, especially sacroiliac-joint dysfunction, which occurs where the hip and back join together. It can be hard to treat. I also send patients with neck pain that doesn’t respond to convention
