July 8, Toronto, Ont. – A new neck pain guide offers a concise summary on both helpful and unhelpful approaches to treating this common condition. The Neck Pain Evidence Summary is based on a series of research reviews published in the journal Spine. It covers the range of possible treatments for different severities and types of neck pain, including whiplash.

The Institute for Work and  Health (IWH) created this summary to share the evidence synthesis completed by the Bone and Joint Decade 2000-2010 Task Force on Neck Pain.  

In February 2008, Spine published a special edition dedicated to the task force’s reviews on the prevention, prognosis, diagnosis and management of neck pain. After publication, a network of Canadian leaders from the chiropractic community suggested distilling the evidence into a summary coordinated by IWH.  

Dr. Sheilah Hogg-Johnson, a task force member and IWH senior scientist says, “The Neck Pain Evidence Summary provides a way for health-care professionals to review the evidence easily in their practice, and if they need further information, they can refer to the full research papers.”  

The task force recommends treatments or further assessments, based on the severity of neck pain. They classified severity into four grades. In the Evidence Summary, a chart outlines the signs and symptoms, and further assessments for each grade. Then both helpful and unhelpful treatments are presented by grade and type of injury.  

Because there are several helpful treatments for some grades of neck pain, the patient’s preference should be considered. For instance, any of the following treatments may benefit for the less serious Grade I or II neck pain, in cases with no traumatic accident: acupuncture, neck mobilization and manipulation, supervised exercise, low-level laser therapy and pain relievers.  

The guide will be useful to various health-care professionals who use these approaches, including chiropractors, massage therapists, medical doctors, physiotherapists and others.  

About the Task Force

The Bone and Joint Decade 2000-2010 Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders involved more than 50 people from nine countries and represented 19 clinical and scientific disciplines or specialties. The task force was affiliated with eight collaborating universities and research institutes as well as 11 professional organizations. The task force has published more than 20 research studies and “best evidence” systematic reviews on neck pain

About the Institute for Work and Health

The Institute for Work and Health is an independent, not-for-profit research organization whose mission is to conduct and share research that protects and improves the health of working people and is valued by policy-makers, workers and workplaces, clinicians, and health and safety professionals. IWH operates with the support of the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.