March 4, 2009 — The February 2009 issue of the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT) contains a reprint of the special neck pain supplement developed by “The Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders“ and originally printed in the journal Spine.
The supplement issue is provided to ACA members and all JMPT subscribers at no additional charge and is available on the publication‘s Web site www.jmptonline.org.
The international, multidisciplinary Task Force on Neck Pain was assembled in 2002 as part of the larger United Nations/World Health Organization “Bone and Joint Decade” project. By assembling and analyzing the best available research data on neck pain and related disorders, the Task Force sought to raise awareness of the problem, promote cost-effective prevention and treatment, and empower people with neck pain to participate in their own care.
A key component of the recommendations is a proposed new system for classification of neck pain. Recommended treatment options include pain medications; exercise or physical therapy; or some form of manual therapy, such as chiropractic spinal manipulation. Treatments that focus on regaining function and returning to work appear more effective. However, a decision analysis study finds “no important differences” between competing treatment options for nonspecific neck pain thus the choice depends on the patient‘s and physician‘s preferences.
Source: American Chiropractic Association, www.acatoday.org
