MANUAL THERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF NECK PAIN

This article updates clinicians on the current status of scientific ev idence for the use of manual therapy. Information from a small number of randomized controlled trials supports that manual therapies, when u sed in combination with other treatments, are beneficial for short-ter m pain relief in mechanical neck disorders. Manual therapies are relat ively safe procedures, with best estimates of risk being in the range of 1% to 2% for increased symptoms and 0.0001% for serious or life-thr eatening complications.