Qigong treats neck pain, research

Exercise may not be the best approach for all kinds of neck pain, according to a new analysis by Canadian researchers, Fox News reports.

After reviewing 10 randomized controlled trials for neck pain treatment published since 2008, researchers concluded that certain treatments may be helpful for specific types of neck pain, depending on whether it is mild or severe.

"If you have neck pain, whether it started two days ago or two weeks ago, one of the best things you can do is gently move and stretch your neck muscles," said study author Dr. Pierre Côté, an epidemiologist at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology in Oshawa.

Two randomized control trials - considered medicine's gold standard for evidence - found that qigong, a type of gentle stretching and breathing, reduced low-grade neck pain, when patients were compared to a group that did not do qigong.

Another trial appeared to show that Iyengar yoga, which includes classical yoga poses, helped with milder forms of neck pain.

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