Is Chiropractic Safe?

We see a large number of people in our Mt Sterling clinic, and Linton Spine & Joint Chiropractic Center has helped many people manage a range of health problems. In spite of this, a common concern that seems to stop a lot of people from seeking care is whether or not chiropractic adjustments are 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 article(1) was published in Spine and involved 183 adults between the ages of 20 and 85. Each participant reported suffering from spinal pain, and half of the individuals received real chiropractic adjustments whereas the other half received two fake chiropractic treatments. Data was gathered after each real or fake adjustment to discover if any undesirable reactions were caused by the real chiropractic adjustments.

The doctors found that no one documented any serious unfavorable side effects at all after receiving one or two sessions of chiropractic. Some participants did state that they had a headache (9 percent) or muscle stiffness (37%) after treatment, but the effects were not of a serious nature.

Large US Survey Finds that Chiropractic Care is Safe

The next study(2), also released in the prestigious medical journal, Spine, was done in an attempt to establish the safety of chiropractic care. The study group was much larger as it involved just under 20,000 individuals. Each participant received chiropractic adjustments of the neck, with over 50,000 total adjustments for all study participants.

Once again, the researchers discovered no serious negative side effects. The authors computed the risk of total adverse reactions to be about 6 out of every 10,000 consultations or every 100,000 treatment sessions. Plus, just as with the first study, some people did report non-serious, milder, unwanted effects such as dizziness (16 out of every 1,000 treatment consultations and 15 out of every 1,000 treatment sessions) or a headache (4%), and this prompted 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 Care Is Safe for Children

The third study(3) is different from the first two pieces of research, as it focuses on the safety of chiropractic care for children. In this article, the researchers analyzed data 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 young ones, chiropractors answering the survey documented only three cases where there were adverse side effects. When parents were surveyed, 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 deemed safe and effective for everyone. To discover what chiropractic can do for you, call our Mt Sterling office and make 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.