Neck pain is so far one of the most common conditions globally, with an estimated prevalence of 48.5% in an individual’s lifetime, a study suggested. This problem affects people of all ages, but adults have a higher prevalence compared to children with over 20-30% of people suffering from moderate to severe. People suffering from neck pain have an option of going for either invasive or non-invasive treatment options. Some of the invasive options include acupuncture for neck pain, injection, normal therapy and injection and alternative medicine.
On the other hand, a surgery, which is an invasive option may be recommended in some severe cases. Abdominal acupuncture can be used to treat neck pain alongside other disorders such as neurological disorders. Findings from to separate systematic reviews showed that abdominal acupuncture is far effective in treating chronic neck pain compared to some invasive methods.
Many people are yet to comprehend the difference between massage therapy and acupuncture. Some studies have claimed that massage therapy is effective for treating neck pain while others have backed acupuncture. However, the popularity of acupuncture in treating a variety of disorders is widespread because of its results. Scientific research has come to the aid of acupuncture by claiming its effectiveness compared to other traditional and modern options for treating chronic neck pain.
A recent study aimed at comparing the efficacy of massage therapy in comparison to acupuncture was performed on two different groups in which the subjects were subjected to different treatments. The results of the study showed that acupuncture had an effect on patients more than massage therapy. A separate study published by the British Medical Journal concluded that acupuncture came out as a more effective way of treating back and neck pain.
The only challenge associated with acupuncture has been the difficult of teasing out the placebo effect. Generally, however, patients who went through this kind of treatment reported feeling relaxed and feeling better compared to those who underwent a surgical procedure.
Conclusion
Experts say that if you are looking for a fast relief for pain, then you had better go for acupuncture. However, for people who dislike needles, massage therapy would be the best option. Ideally, both massage therapy and acupuncture give almost similar effects since they have the same therapeutic effects. However, acupuncture is said to yield a more intense pressure at the site compared to massage. Scientific research has demonstrated that pressure therapy is far more effective compared to the traditional massage therapy when it comes to treatment of neck pain. Therefore, Acupuncture for Neck Pain could be the next frontier in the medical field when handling patients with severe chronic pain.