How Safe is Chiropractic?

We care for a large number of patients in our Jacksonville, FL office, and Dr. Michael Chanatry has helped many people eliminate a variety of health issues. In spite of this, a common concern that seems to stop some men and women from getting treatment is whether or not chiropractic care is safe. Fortunately, according to three different studies (out of quite a few on the subject), the answer to this concern is a resounding: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"

Australian Study: Chiropractic is Safe

The first article(1) was published in Spine and included 183 men and women. Each participant was suffering from some kind of back pain, and half of the patients received real chiropractic adjustments while the other half were given two fake chiropractic treatments. Information was gathered after each real or fake adjustment to determine whether or not any unfavorable negative effects were caused by the actual chiropractic adjustments.

Researchers found that no participants documented any serious undesirable side effects at all after getting one or two sessions of chiropractic. Some people did report that they experienced a headache (9 percent) or muscle stiffness (37 percent) post-treatment, but the effects were not of a serious nature.

Large US Survey Confirms that Chiropractic Adjustments are Safe

The next research study(2), also published in the important journal, Spine, was done in an effort to determine the safety of chiropractic. The study group was much larger -- 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 adverse side effects. The authors determined the risk of total negative effects to be approximately 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 (16 out of every 1,000 treatment consultations and 15 out of every 1,000 treatment sessions) or a headache (4 out of every 100), 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 previous two reports, as it concentrates on the safety of chiropractic care for kids. In this case, the authors analyzed data 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 kids, chiropractors answering the survey reported only three cases where there were negative side effects. When parents were surveyed, 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 has been judged safe and effective for everyone. To learn what chiropractic care can do for you, call our Jacksonville, FL clinic and make an appointment today at (904) 743-6700.

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.