Is Chiropractic Safe?

We see a large number of patients in our Atlanta, GA office, and Dr. Remond Weinberg has helped countless people eliminate a wide array of health challenges. However, a frequent worry that seems to prevent a lot of men and women from seeking treatment is whether or not chiropractic adjustments are safe. Well, according to three different studies (out of quite a few on the topic), the answer to this question is a resounding: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"

Australian Study: Chiropractic is Safe

The first research paper(1) was published in Spine and included 183 adults. Each test subject reported affected by spinal pain, and half of the individuals received real chiropractic care whereas the other half received two sham chiropractic treatment sessions. Information was collected after each real or fake adjustment to see if any unpleasant side effects were caused by the actual chiropractic treatments.

The doctors reported that no one reported any serious adverse adverse reactions in any way after receiving one or two sessions of chiropractic. Some individuals did report that they had a headache (9 percent) or muscle stiffness (37%) post-treatment, but the effects were not serious.

Nationwide Survey Finds that Chiropractic is Safe

The second study(2), also released in the distinguished journal, Spine, was performed in an attempt to determine the safety of chiropractic care. 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 patients.

Again, the experts found no serious negative side effects. The authors determined the risk of total negative 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 volunteers 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 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 Is Safe for Kids

This third study(3) is unique from the first two reports, as it focuses on the safety of chiropractic care for children. In this case, the authors 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 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. 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 care has been deemed safe and effective for everyone. To discover what chiropractic care can do for you, call our Atlanta, GA office and make an appointment today at (770) 434-8976.

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.