Is Chiropractic Safe?

We care for a large number of patients in our Kettering clinic, and Dr. Poelking has helped many people manage a range of health challenges. In spite of this, one worry that seems to prevent some men and women from pursuing treatment is whether or not chiropractic adjustments are safe. Luckily, according to three separate studies (out of countless on the issue), the answer to this concern 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 test subject was suffering from spinal pain, and half of the individuals received real chiropractic care whereas the other half were given two fake chiropractic adjustments. Data was gathered after each real or fake adjustment to discover whether or not any unfavorable negative effects were caused by the genuine chiropractic treatments.

Researchers found that nobody documented any significant undesirable adverse reactions whatsoever after receiving one or two sessions of chiropractic. Some participants did state that they experienced a headache (9% of patients) or muscle stiffness (37 percent) post-treatment, but the effects were not of a serious nature.

Large US Survey Reports that Chiropractic is Safe

The next research study(2), also released in the influential publication, Spine, was conducted in an attempt to establish the safety of chiropractic care. The study group was much larger as it involved just under 20,000 people. Each participant received chiropractic adjustments of the neck, with over 50,000 total adjustments for all patients.

Again, the experts discovered no serious adverse side effects. The experts computed the risk of total side effects to be approximately 6 out of every 10,000 consultations or every 100,000 treatment sessions. Plus, 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%), and this caused 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 Care Is Safe for Children

The third study(3) is different from the first two pieces of research, as it concentrates on the safety of chiropractic care for children. In this case, 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 visits made for the children, chiropractors answering the survey reported 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 these three studies (and many more!), chiropractic care has been deemed safe and effective for everyone. To find out what chiropractic can do for you, call our Kettering clinic and schedule an appointment today at (937) 299-2900.

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.