We tend to a large number of patients in our Otown clinic, and TJ Delorie has helped countless people overcome a range of health challenges. In spite of this, the primary issue that seems to prevent some people from seeking care is whether or not chiropractic adjustments are safe. Fortunately, according to three separate studies (out of quite a few on the topic), the answer to this concern is a clear: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"
Chiropractic is Safe, According to Australian Study
The first research paper(1) was published in Spine and included 183 men and women. Each participant reported affected by spinal pain, and half of the patients received actual chiropractic care visits while the other half were given two sham chiropractic treatments. Data was obtained after each real or fake adjustment to see whether or not any unpleasant negative effects occurred as a result of the genuine chiropractic treatments.
The authors reported that nobody reported any serious negative adverse reactions whatsoever after getting one or two sessions of chiropractic. Some participants did report that they experienced a headache (9 percent) or muscle stiffness (37 percent) after treatment, but the results were not of a serious nature.
National Survey Reports that Chiropractic Care is Safe
The second study(2), also published in the distinguished publication, Spine, was performed in an attempt to establish the safety of chiropractic. 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.
Again, the investigators found no serious negative side effects. The experts determined the risk of total adverse reactions to be about six out of every 10,000 consultations or every 100,000 treatment sessions. Plus, just as with the previous 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 researchers to conclude 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 Your Children
This third research paper(3) is unique from the previous two pieces of research, as it focuses on the safety of chiropractic care for children. In this article, the researchers investigated results 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 ones, chiropractors answering the survey reported 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. Furthermore, 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 judged safe and effective for everyone. To discover what chiropractic can do for you, call our Otown office and schedule 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.