How Safe is Chiropractic?

We see a large number of patients in our Port Clinton, OH office, and Bridgett Urban, DC has helped many people overcome a range of health issues. Even so, the primary issue that seems to prevent some folks from seeking treatment is whether or not chiropractic adjustments are safe. Fortunately, according to three separate studies (out of quite a few on the topic), the answer to this question is a clear: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"

Australian Study: Chiropractic is Safe

The first study(1) was published in Spine and included 183 women and men between the ages of 20 and 85. Each individual reported suffering from spinal pain, and half of the people received real chiropractic adjustments while the other half received two fake chiropractic treatments. Information was gathered after each real or fake adjustment to identify if any unfavorable negative effects occurred as a result of the actual chiropractic adjustments.

The authors found that none of the patients documented any significant negative adverse reactions in any way after receiving one or two sessions of chiropractic care. Some individuals did state that they got a headache (9 percent) or muscle stiffness (37 percent) after treatment, but the effects were not of a serious nature.

Nationwide Survey Finds that Chiropractic Care is Safe

A second article(2), also published in the prestigious publication, Spine, was performed in an effort to establish the safety of chiropractic care. The study group was much larger as it involved just under 20,000 people. Each participant received chiropractic adjustments of the neck, with over 50,000 total adjustments for all study participants.

Once again, the investigators found no serious negative side effects. The experts determined the risk of total side effects to be approximately six out of every 10,000 consultations or every 100,000 treatment sessions. Plus, just as with the previous study, some volunteers did report non-serious, milder, unwanted effects such as dizziness (about 1.6%) or a headache (4%), and this caused the researchers to conclude that "the risk of a serious adverse event, immediately or up to 7 days after treatment, was low to very low."

Chiropractic Care Is Safe for Children

The third study(3) is different from the first two pieces of research, as it concentrates on the safety of chiropractic care for kids. In this article, researchers analyzed results reported by both chiropractors and parents involving 816 children who participated in 7,173 chiropractic adjustments.

Out of 5,438 chiropractic appointments made for the young ones, chiropractors responding to the survey documented only three cases where there were adverse reactions. When parents were questioned, they indicated only two adverse side effects out of 1,735 visits. Furthermore, both chiropractors and parents reported "a high rate of improvement with respect to the children's presenting complaints."

Based on studies like these, chiropractic has been found to be safe and effective for everyone. To find out what chiropractic can do for you, call our Port Clinton, OH clinic and schedule an appointment today at (419) 285-6781.

References

1. Walker BF, Hebert JJ, Stomski NJ, Clarke BR, Bowden RS, Losco B, French SD. Outcomes of usual chiropractic. The OUCH randomized controlled trial of adverse events. Spine 2013;38(20):1723-9.
2. Thiel HW1, Bolton JE, Docherty S, Portlock JC. Safety of chiropractic manipulation of the cervical spine: a prospective national survey. Spine 2007;32(21):2375-8.
3. Alcantara J, Ohm J, Kunz D. The safety and effectiveness of pediatric chiropractic: a survey of chiropractors and parents in a practice-based research network. Explore NY 2009;5(5): 290-5.