How Safe Is Chiropractic Treatment?

Depew Studies Confirm that Chiropractic Is Safe

We help a large number of people in our Depew clinic, and Dr. Palmer has helped many people eliminate a range of health issues. However, one concern that seems to stop many men and women from getting care is whether or not chiropractic is safe. Fortunately, according to three different studies (out of quite a few on the issue), the answer to this concern is a clear: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"

Australian Study: Chiropractic is Safe

The first study(1) was published in Spine and involved 183 adults between the ages of 20 and 85. Each participant reported affected by spinal pain, and half of the patients received actual chiropractic care visits while the remaining patients received two fake chiropractic adjustments. Data was gathered after each real or fake adjustment to discover if any unfavorable side effects were caused by the real chiropractic adjustments.

The authors reported that none of the patients reported any serious adverse side effects at all after getting one or two sessions of chiropractic. Some participants did report that they experienced a headache (9 percent) or muscle stiffness (37%) post-treatment, but the results were not of a serious nature.

National Survey Finds that Chiropractic Treatments are Safe

The second research study(2), also published in the influential medical journal, Spine, was done in an effort to determine the safety of chiropractic. The test group was much larger -- 20,000 people. Each participant received chiropractic adjustments of the neck, with over 50,000 total adjustments for all study participants.

Once again, the investigators found no serious adverse side effects. The experts determined the risk of total side effects to be about 6 out of every 10,000 consultations or every 100,000 treatment sessions. And, just as with the previous study, some people did report non-serious, milder, side effects such as dizziness (about 1.6%) or a headache (4 out of every 100), and this prompted the researchers to determine that "the risk of a serious adverse event, immediately or up to 7 days after treatment, was low to very low."

Chiropractic Treatments are Safe for Children

The third study(3) is different from the previous two reports, as it focuses on the safety of chiropractic care for kids. In this article, the authors investigated data reported by both chiropractors and parents involving 816 children who participated in 7,173 chiropractic adjustments.

Out of 5,438 chiropractic visits made for the young ones, chiropractors responding to the survey documented only three cases where there were adverse 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 studies like these, chiropractic has been deemed safe and effective for everyone. To discover what chiropractic therapy can do for you, call our Depew office and schedule an appointment today at (716) 668-2225.

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.