We care for a large number of patients in our Otown clinic, and TJ Delorie has helped countless people eliminate a variety of health challenges. Even so, the primary concern that seems to stop some women and men from getting treatment is whether or not chiropractic is safe. Well, according to three separate studies (out of many on the subject), the answer to this question is a clear: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"
Chiropractic is Safe, According to Australian Study
The first article(1) was published in Spine and included 183 adults between the ages of 20 and 85. Each person was affected by some kind of back pain, and half of the patients received real chiropractic adjustments while the other half received two sham chiropractic treatment sessions. Data was collected after each real or fake adjustment to determine if any unfavorable side effects occurred as a result of the real chiropractic treatments.
The doctors found that nobody documented any significant adverse side effects whatsoever after getting one or two sessions of chiropractic care. Some people did state that they got a headache (just 9% of people) or muscle stiffness (37 percent) post-treatment, but the effects were not serious.
Nationwide Survey Finds that Chiropractic Adjustments are Safe
The next article(2), also released in the distinguished journal, Spine, was done in an attempt to establish the safety of chiropractic care. The study group was much larger -- 20,000 individuals. Each participant received chiropractic adjustments of the cervical spine, with over 50,000 total adjustments for all patients.
Once again, the experts found no serious negative side effects. The authors computed the risk of total negative effects to be approximately 6 out of every 10,000 consultations or every 100,000 treatment sessions. And, just as with the first study, some people did report non-serious, milder, unwanted effects such as dizziness (about 1.6%) 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 Adjustments are Safe for Children
This third study(3) is different from the first two reports, as it concentrates on the safety of chiropractic care for kids. In this article, researchers 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 young children, chiropractors answering the survey documented only three cases where there were adverse 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 studies like these, chiropractic care has been judged safe and effective for everyone. To find out what chiropractic can do for you, call our Otown clinic and make an appointment today at 724-123-1234.
References
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.