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Neck Pain Treatment - Lets put it into Perspective

Statistics show that surgery and opioids are far more risky than neck manipulation for the treatment of Neck Pain. Choose your care carefully! #beinformed #chiropractic #sydneyfamilychiro


There are risks and benefits to all treatments; however, the chance of experiencing a serious adverse event following neck manipulation is extremely low. The association between neck manipulation and vertebral artery dissection (VAD) is about 1 in 5.85 million adjustments (less than 1 in 1 million). What is VAD?.


While it is impossible to make direct comparisons given likely differences in underlying patient demographics and co-morbidities, it is important to recognise that all healthcare treatments and procedures carry some association with adverse events. To put the association between neck manipulation and VAD in context, consider the following: 


Overall risk of death from spine surgery: 1,800 per 1 million

Risk of serious side effects/death from cervical spine (neck) surgery: 500 per 1 million Risk of death from combined use of NSAIDS/aspirin: 153 per 1 million

Risk of death from prescription opioid pain medications: 53.6 per 1 million

Risk of death from aspirin: 25 per 1 million


According to the Institute of Medicine, at least 1.5 million Americans are sickened, injured or killed each year by errors in prescribing, dispensing and taking medications. Moreover, CDC has classified the abuse of prescription opioid pain medications in the U.S. as “epidemic.” In 2010, more than 15,000 people died as a result of taking these drugs. Even over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen and naproxen pose a greater risk than neck manipulation. One study estimated more than 100,000 patients are hospitalised every year for serious gastrointestinal complications resulting from their use. (There are over 16,000 NSAID-related deaths annually in the United States). Doctors of chiropractic have some of the lowest malpractice insurance premiums in health care because of the low risk associated with the treatments they utilize. All references used can be found here.


Chiropractic treatment for Neck Pain


Neck pain relief is the second most common reason patients seek chiropractic care and is a leading cause of disability. 10-15% of the population has Neck Pain at any given time it can significantly impact their work and ability to engage in an active, healthy life. While many instances of Neck Pain will go away within a few days or weeks, pain that persists is usually a sign that there is some underlying cause that needs to be addressed, we recommend coming in for assessment and treatment of your Neck Pain as early as possible. Book a consultation with us and we can kick-start the healing process. Click HERE to book your initial consultation with one of our Chiropractors at Sydney Family Chiropractic.




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