How Safe is Chiropractic?

Sandusky Chiropractic for familiesWe care for a large number of patients in our Sandusky clinic, and Dr. Shaw has helped countless people manage a wide array of health problems. Even so, one concern that seems to prevent many people from getting treatment is whether or not chiropractic care is safe. Fortunately, according to three different studies (out of countless on the subject), the answer to this concern is a clear: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"

Australian Study: Chiropractic is Safe

The first research paper(1) was published in Spine and involved 183 men and women between the ages of 20 and 85. Each participant was affected by spinal pain, and half of the patients received actual chiropractic care visits while the remaining patients received two sham chiropractic adjustments. Information was collected after each real or fake adjustment to see whether or not any unfavorable reactions were caused by the real chiropractic adjustments.

The doctors found that nobody documented any significant undesirable adverse reactions in any way after getting one or two sessions of chiropractic. Some individuals did state that they got a headache (9 percent) or muscle stiffness (37%) after treatment, but the results were not serious.

National Survey Reports that Chiropractic Care is Safe

The second research study(2), also published in the distinguished publication, Spine, was conducted in an effort to determine 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 cervical spine, with over 50,000 total adjustments for all study participants.

Once again, the researchers found no serious negative side effects. The authors calculated the risk of total negative effects to be approximately 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 (16 out of every 1,000 treatment consultations and 15 out of every 1,000 treatment sessions) or a headache (4%), 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 Care Is Safe for Your Children

This third study(3) is different from the previous two pieces of research, as it concentrates on the safety of chiropractic care for kids. In this case, the researchers analyzed data reported by both chiropractors and parents involving 816 children who participated in 7,173 chiropractic treatment sessions.

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. Additionally, 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 judged safe and effective for everyone. To discover what chiropractic can do for you, call our Sandusky office and make an appointment today at (419) 621-7555.

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.
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