How Safe is Chiropractic?

We care for a large number of people in our Tumwater office, and Dr. Harrell has helped countless people manage a wide array of health challenges. However, a common issue that seems to prevent many women and men from getting treatment is whether or not chiropractic is safe. Fortunately, according to three separate studies (out of countless on the issue), the answer to this concern is a resounding: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"

Australian Study: Chiropractic is Safe

The first study(1) was published in Spine and included 183 men and women between the ages of 20 and 85. Each person was affected by spine-related pain, and half of the individuals received actual chiropractic care visits while the other half received two fake chiropractic treatment sessions. Data was obtained after each real or fake adjustment to see if any undesirable side effects occurred as a result of the real chiropractic adjustments.

The authors reported that nobody reported any serious undesirable adverse reactions at all after receiving one or two sessions of chiropractic. Some participants did state that they experienced a headache (9 percent) or muscle stiffness (about 1 out of 3) after treatment, but the results were not serious.

Large US Survey Confirms that Chiropractic Adjustments are Safe

The second study(2), also published in the distinguished journal, Spine, was done in an effort to establish the safety of chiropractic care. The test group was much larger -- 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 experts found no serious adverse side effects. The experts determined the risk of total side effects to be approximately 6 out of every 10,000 consultations or every 100,000 treatment sessions. And, just as with the first study, some participants did report non-serious, milder, unwanted effects such as dizziness (about 1.6%) or a headache (4 out of every 100), 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 Children

This third research paper(3) is unique from the first two reports, as it focuses on the safety of chiropractic care for kids. In this article, the researchers analyzed results 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 children, chiropractors responding to the survey reported only three cases where there were adverse reactions. 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 judged safe and effective for everyone. To discover what chiropractic care can do for you, call our Tumwater office and schedule an appointment today at (360) 489-0635.

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.