Is Chiropractic Safe?

We see a large number of patients in our Mt Sterling clinic, and Dr. Linton has helped many people eliminate a wide array of health issues. In spite of this, a frequent issue that seems to prevent many people from seeking care is whether or not chiropractic is safe. Well, according to three different studies (out of many on the issue), the answer to this concern is a clear: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"

Australian Study: Chiropractic is Safe

The first research paper(1) was published in Spine and involved 183 adults between the ages of 20 and 85. Each individual was affected by some kind of back pain, and half of the people received real chiropractic care whereas the other half were given two sham chiropractic treatments. Information was obtained after each real or fake adjustment to determine whether or not any unfavorable side effects were caused by the genuine chiropractic adjustments.

The doctors reported that none of the patients reported any significant negative adverse reactions whatsoever after getting one or two sessions of chiropractic. Some participants did report that they got a headache (just 9% of people) or muscle stiffness (37 percent) after treatment, but the effects were not serious.

Large US Survey Confirms that Chiropractic Adjustments are Safe

The next research study(2), also released in the important medical journal, Spine, was conducted in an attempt to ascertain the safety of chiropractic care. The study group was much larger -- 20,000 patients. Each participant received chiropractic adjustments of the cervical spine, with over 50,000 total adjustments for all patients.

Once again, the researchers found no serious negative side effects. The experts determined the risk of total negative effects to be about six out of every 10,000 consultations or every 100,000 treatment sessions. And, just as with the first study, some participants did report non-serious, milder, unwanted effects such as dizziness (less than 2%) or a headache (4 out of every 100), and this caused the authors to determine that "the risk of a serious adverse event, immediately or up to 7 days after treatment, was low to very low."

Chiropractic Is Safe for Kids

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

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

Based on these three studies (and many more!), chiropractic care has been found to be safe and effective for everyone. To find out what chiropractic can do for you, call our Mt Sterling office and schedule an appointment today at (859) 499-1009.

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.