Everyone suffers from neck pain at some time or another. But for those who have chronic neck pain that the more traditional remedies don’t seem to have an answer for, they may be ready to try something a little less traditional.

These types of cures or therapies are called either alternative medicine or holistic therapies. The belief is that the body is capable of healing itself. One of these therapies that can work for neck pain is acupuncture.

During acupuncture, tiny needles are inserted into certain points that are connected to the area where the pain is. These spots are located along pathways known as meridians. Chinese medicine believes that the body’s energy runs through these meridians and the needles restore the energy that was interrupted by injury.

Acupuncture has been shown to have positive effects on certain kinds of neck pain, particularly the pain caused by whiplash from a car accident. There are even studies that that support the theory that acupuncture can help degenerative disorders of the neck. It has been shown to work for patients with chronic neck pain who had tried all of the more conventional treatments short of surgery.

Acupuncture can provide quick relief from pain that patients have been dealing with for a long time. In fact, there are studies that indicate that patients were actually more satisfied with the results of acupuncture than with those of painful spinal injections. The needles used in acupuncture are inserted only into the skin with little to no pain involved.

For even quicker relief from that chronic neck pain, many practitioners even combine the acupuncture treatment with herbal medicines. These medicines can help lessen the pain and the spasms in the muscles of the neck so that the patient is completely relaxed.

Much as a traditional doctor would do, an acupuncturist will always take a complete history of your health before beginning and perform a comprehensive exam. After his or her diagnosis is made, the acupuncture treatment will begin. Acupuncture has been proven to help patients for whom other therapies have failed. There is enough documentation of its success to make it worth a try.