If you're advised to go under the knife to treat neck pain, should you listen?

Maybe not. A recent study found that surgery, often touted as the most effective way to treat certain types of neck pain, might not be the best approach after all. Instead, the study, reported in the medical journal Spine, concluded that interventions by a chiropractor can sometimes be the best option.

"Neck pain affects up to 70 percent of the population, and thousands of surgeries are performed each year," says Gerard W. Clum, D.C., president of Life Chiropractic College West and member of the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress. "Spinal adjusting and manipulation often prove to be the best approaches to treating the pain."

Indeed, the study-originally conducted by the international Neck Pain Task Force of the Bone and Joint Decade of the World Health Organization-concluded that in cases of neck pain without consistent radiating pain in the shoulder and arm, surgery should rarely be advised.

"This is an authoritative study, and if the advice it offers is heeded, many less surgeries will be performed," says Dr. Clum.

Debunking MythsThe Neck Pain Task Force also questioned a link once thought to exist between cervical spine and neck manipulation and the development of a vascular problem known as vertebrobasilar artery insufficiency, or vertebrobasilar artery stroke.Some erroneously believed that chiropractic care could lead to higher rates of the condition. But the study confirmed that's not so."The study concludes that patients develop stroke symptoms at the same rate, regardless of the type of practitioner they select," says Dr. Clum.

Finding TreatmentYou can find information regarding chiropractic care by calling (866) 901-F4CP or visiting www. yes2chiropractic.org. The site includes facts about chiropractic care, as well as information on treating pain-something Dr. Clum says is key for patients."It's important to make medical decisions based on facts, not myths," he says. "This new study may help more pain sufferers do just that."