Post # 7: summary of a career-related article from "The Guardian"

"Neck pain,
What treatments work? "
BMJ Group, Wednesday 14 October 2009 00.00 BST

This article is about "the Neck pain". It's a regular pain, and often it gets better for a couple of days... but the history never is so simple, when the pain stays or gets worse, you must do something about it. In that case, you could take a lot of options:

A) The better option, is get an hour with a physical therapy, or a chiropractor and put ice in that zone.
The treatment with an especialist will improve your problem because them going to work with the cause of the problem, how?:

1) Mobilisation: With the manipulation of the segment or with sharp thrusts, reducing the problem and decreasing the pain. For example, exist the "Mackensi's treatment" (a mobilisation JUST done by a specially qualified physical therapiest). First, the PT looks at your neck and feels it in different positions and later he give you exercises to do according your problems, still you can do that exercises by yourself. Too,exist evidence about hands-on treatments (mobilisation and manipulation), it says that reduce neck pain more than less active physical treatments, such as using hot or cold packs.
There are a few studies, and most have found these treatments work about the same However, one small study found that physiotherapy with thrusts was slightly better in the short term than gentler manipulation.The thrusts were applied to the middle part of the spine, not the neck. They were done by pulling on the patient's arms to create leverage.

2)Manipulation (often done by a chiropractor)

The chiropractors use movements-based treatments for neck pain, and there are some similarities between the manipulation and the mobilisation. This manipulation is about the use of short and sharp movements to push a joint slightly further than it would usually move ( this is the famous "cracking sound"). But exist a risk of more serious complications, for the treatment. This can happen if an artery taking blood to the brain gets trapped ( vertebral artery), that produces headashes (not so bad), but a study says that up to 3 in every million people who have manipulation have a stroke afterwards. And anotherstudy says that up to 1 person in a million may get a slipped disc (A slipped disc happens when one of the shock-absorbing discs in your spine gets damaged and presses on a nerve).

Theres exist a lot of stuides that have found these treatments work about the same and one... and other small studies found that physiotherapy with thrusts was slightly better in the short term than gentler manipulation.

b)Exercises.

You can take a routine of exercises por make stronger the muscleskeletal structure.
Strengthening exercises may help long-term neck pain, stuides says that the cronic pain improve with this treatment. And this exercises are in home and in your houses, and the idea is make stronger the treatment with the help of medicament and a specialist.

Too,Combining an exercise programme to strengthen your neck with manipulation by a physical therapiest can help long-term pain, a study says that of 94 people, physiotherapy and exercise helped 6 in 10 people get rid of their neck pain and only 3 in 10 people got better with exercise and general advice.

c) Take any medicament for improve the pain.

1) Painkillers:
Exist mild painkillers such the paracetmalo, that can help you to stay more relax.
2) Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs):
Such as ibuprofen, can help pain and reduce the inflammation of sore tissue, very specifi, but it could give you side effects, like as stomach pains, diarrhoea, skin rashes, headaches, and dizziness.
3) Stronger painkillers:
Only if the problem is several, your specialist may recommend a more powerful painkiller, such as codeine. But a side effect side effect cause nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, and constipation.
4) Muscle relaxants:
These drugs relax your muscles and also make you calm and sleepy( Such benzodiazepines, such as diazepam) . Too, Muscle relaxants are sometimes used for people in severe pain from muscle spasms, but they are used for only a short amount of time. But you must be careful, because is possible to become depend on these drugs if you take them for too long, this means you have withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking them.

Exist another treatments, but this are the main treatments, for see mor, visit:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/besttreatments/neck-pain-treatments