Neck pain is very common, with considerable
socioeconomic consequences. The broad, long-term objective
of this research is to identify effective therapies
for neck pain conditions.
This randomized, observer-blinded clinical
trial is a unique collaborative effort by experienced
chiropractic and medical researchers and will focus
on patients with acute/sub acute neck pain (<12 weeks
duration). A pilot study recently completed by our investigative
team shows that this proposed trial is feasible. The
study has the following specific aims:
Primary Aim
- To determine the relative efficacy of chiropractic
spinal manipulation, prescription medication, and
self-care advice for neck pain in both the short term
(after 6 weeks) and long term (after 52 weeks), using
patient-rated neck pain
as the main outcome measure.
Secondary Aims
- To determine the short- and long-term relative
efficacy of the three interventions using the following
secondary outcome measures: patient-rated disability,
general health, improvement, satisfaction with care,
fear avoidance, and over-the-counter medication use.
- To determine the relative efficacy of the three
interventions in terms of cervical spine motion performance
measured by examiners blinded to treatment group
assignment.
This research will help narrow the large gap in the scientific
literature regarding the relative efficacy of two commonly
used treatments for acute/sub-acute neck pain. It will
also provide clinically useful information for health
care practitioners, policy makers and, most importantly,
those who suffer from this painful and costly condition.
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