Is Chiropractic Safe?

We see a large number of patients in our Tucson clinic, and Dr. Conlee has helped many people manage a wide array of health issues. In spite of this, a common worry that seems to prevent many men and women from pursuing treatment is whether or not chiropractic is safe. Well, according to three different studies (out of countless on the topic), the answer to this question is a resounding: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"

Chiropractic is Safe, According to Australian Study

The first article(1) was published in Spine and included 183 adults. Each participant reported suffering from some kind of back pain, and half of the individuals received real chiropractic adjustments whereas the remaining patients received two fake chiropractic adjustments. Information was gathered after each real or fake adjustment to see whether or not any unpleasant side effects occurred as a result of the real chiropractic treatments.

The authors reported that no one documented any significant negative adverse reactions at all after getting one or two sessions of chiropractic. Some people did report that they experienced a headache (9% of patients) or muscle stiffness (about 1 out of 3) after treatment, but the results were not serious.

Nationwide Survey Reports that Chiropractic Adjustments are Safe

A second article(2), also released in the influential medical journal, Spine, was performed in an attempt to determine the safety of chiropractic. The study group was much larger -- 20,000 patients. Each participant received chiropractic adjustments of the neck, with over 50,000 total adjustments for all patients.

Once again, the experts found no serious adverse side effects. The authors computed the risk of total negative effects to be about six out of every 10,000 consultations or every 100,000 treatment sessions. And, just as with the first study, some individuals did report non-serious, milder, unwanted effects such as dizziness (about 1.6%) or a headache (4%), and this caused 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 Kids

This third study(3) is different from the first two reports, as it focuses on the safety of chiropractic care for children. In this case, researchers analyzed 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 answering the survey reported only three cases where there were negative 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 has been found to be safe and effective for everyone. To find out what chiropractic can do for you, call our Tucson office and make an appointment today at (520) 322-6161.

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.