Book excerpt: If you have neck pain and you are like most people, you want to know how to relieve the pain without having surgery. Dr. Martin Taylor's comprehensive, user-friendly guide to treating neck pain will help you become a partner with your health care team in charting an effective nonsurgical plan for treatment. With two out of every three adults experiencing severe neck pain at least once in their lives, and one in ten enduring chronic neck pain, medical science has developed an array of treatment options. Which of the many options is right for you? Dr. Taylor identifies the various causes of pain and details the range of medical treatments and physical and alternative therapies available. He explains the least invasive treatments as well as more invasive and less common interventions. My Neck Hurts! includes information on the following topics, illustrated with photographs and drawings: • physical therapy, from exercises and aquatherapy to ultrasound and traction • electrical stimulation methods such as transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and percutaneous neuromodulation therapy (PNT) • manual therapies: massage, osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT), and chiropractic treatment • medications, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), muscle relaxants, and topical medications • botulinum toxin therapy, occipital nerve blocks, and other forms of injection therapy • alternative and complementary therapies such as acupuncture, biofeedback, yoga, and Pilates This truly readable resource includes patient stories, diagrams, and color illustrations as well as tips on how to effectively communicate with your physician, and an appendix of Web sites and other resources.