Self-care. That’s what we’d all like to do when we need pain relief like neck pain relief when neck pain lasts for a seemingly long time. Dr. Butwell knows its Georgetown chiropractic neck pain patients would love to take care of themselves if they knew how! Dr. Butwell admires the independence and appreciates the opportunity to work alongside Georgetown neck pain patients seeking relief of their neck pain. The goal of Georgetown chiropractic care is a return to as normal a lifestyle as our Georgetown patients want. It just takes a team effort sometimes to set the plan to get there.

Dr. Butwell always appreciates the latest Cochrane review as it reviews a large number of studies at once. This latest one reviews all randomized clinical trials’ results published in 2014 about exercise for relief of chronic neck pain and chronic headache sufferers. Focusing on neck pain relieving exercise, strengthening exercises of the neck, scapulothoracic and shoulder help. What types of exercise help? For neck pain patients, a moderate to large pain reduction with cervicoscapulothoracic and upper extremity strengthening immediately after care as well as at short term follow up. Cervical, shoulder and scapulothoracic strengthening and stretching shows a small to large pain reduction long term. Cervicoscapulothoracic strengthening/strabilization exercises improve pain and function in the intermediate term. (1) What neck exercise does Dr. Butwell recommend for our Georgetown neck pain patients? That depends. Dr. Butwell sets up an individual treatment plan for each individual Georgetown neck pain patient after careful consideration of the individual’s needs. We will figure out what is best together.

Lastly, in a set of patients over age 65 years with chronic mechanical neck pain, spinal manipulation (SMT) and home exercise and advice give better clinical outcomes and save money compared with supervised rehabilitative exercise plus home exercise and home exercise and advice alone. As a matter of fact, spinal manipulation plus home exercise and advice was 5% less expensive than home exercise alone and 47% cheaper than supervised rehabilitative exercise and home exercise combined! And SMT plus home exercise and advice produced greater reduction in pain over a year, too. (3) At Dr. Butwell, the combined approach of spinal manipulation and home exercise is the approach to neck pain relief. Georgetown chiropractic neck pain patients find this multipronged approach helps. The Cox Technic form of spinal manipulation Dr. Butwell uses is gentle, safe and effective at reducing intradiscal pressures in the cervical spine and returning motion to the spine. (4,5)Another study interviewed chronic neck pain patients who exercised or performed Qigong therapy (an exercise system that integrates physical postures, breathing techniques and focused intention). The exercise group was able to set up and stick to a routine of exercise that they felt helped correct posture and release muscle tension. The Qigong group described the calming and relaxing effects of this therapy. (2) Again, whatever works for our Georgetown neck pain patient gets our vote as the right approach for Georgetown neck pain relief!

Contact Dr. Butwell today for relief of neck pain that incorporates and encourages self-care along with in-office, non-surgical spinal manipulation.