Chiropractic Therapy Proven Safe

We see a large number of patients in our Jacksonville office, and Chanatry Chiropractic has helped many people overcome a wide array of health challenges. In spite of this, a common issue that seems to prevent some people from seeking treatment is whether or not chiropractic is safe. Fortunately, according to three separate studies (out of many on the topic), the answer to this concern is a resounding: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"

Australian Study: Chiropractic is Safe

The first research paper(1) was published in Spine and involved 183 men and women. Each test subject reported suffering from some kind of back pain, and half of the individuals received real chiropractic adjustments while the remaining patients received two sham chiropractic treatments. Information was collected after each real or fake adjustment to see whether or not any unfavorable side effects occurred as a result of the real chiropractic adjustments.

Researchers found that nobody reported any serious adverse side effects at all after receiving one or two sessions of chiropractic care. Some individuals did report that they got a headache (9% of patients) or muscle stiffness (about 1 out of 3) post-treatment, but the effects were not serious.

National Survey Finds that Chiropractic Adjustments are Safe

The second research study(2), also released in the distinguished publication, Spine, was performed in an effort to determine the safety of chiropractic care. The test group was much larger -- 20,000 patients. Each participant received chiropractic adjustments of the cervical spine, with over 50,000 total adjustments for all study participants.

Once again, the researchers found no serious adverse 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. Plus, just as with the previous study, some individuals did report non-serious, milder, unwanted effects such as dizziness (less than 2%) 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 research paper(3) is different from the previous two reports, as it focuses on the safety of chiropractic care for children. In this article, the authors investigated 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 reported only three cases where there were adverse 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 studies like these, chiropractic care has been found to be safe and effective for everyone. To discover what chiropractic adjustments can do for you, call our Jacksonville office and schedule 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.