Acupuncture and Alexander Technique may improve neck pain

By Kathryn Doyle (Reuters Health) – Acupuncture sessions and Alexander Technique lessons both seem to improve the symptoms of chronic neck pain after one year, according to a new study. Alexander Technique involves hands-on lessons for self-care in everyday activities, aimed at reducing poor posture, excess muscle tension, poor coordination, stress or pain. Single interventions for chronic neck pain do not on average provide long-term benefits, so the positive results with acupuncture and Alexander Technique lessons were surprising, said lead author Hugh MacPherson of the University of York in the U.K. “Treatment was completed at around four to five months after entering the trial,” MacPherson told Reuters Health by email.