Is Chiropractic Safe?

We see a large number of people in our Plainview office, and Dr. DeRiggi has helped many people manage a variety of health problems. In spite of this, a frequent issue that seems to prevent many people from seeking care is whether or not chiropractic adjustments are safe. Fortunately, according to three different studies (out of many on the issue), the answer to this concern is a resounding: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"

Chiropractic is Safe, According to Australian Study

The first article(1) was published in Spine and involved 183 women and men. Each person was suffering from some kind of back pain, and half of the patients received real chiropractic care while the other half received two sham chiropractic treatment sessions. Information was obtained after each real or fake adjustment to identify whether or not any unpleasant negative effects occurred as a result of the actual chiropractic adjustments.

The authors found that no participants documented any significant undesirable side effects at all after receiving one or two sessions of chiropractic care. Some people did state that they experienced a headache (9 percent) or muscle stiffness (about 1 out of 3) after treatment, but the effects were not of a serious nature.

Nationwide Survey Reports that Chiropractic is Safe

A second research study(2), also released in the influential journal, Spine, was conducted in an effort to ascertain the safety of chiropractic. The test group was much larger as it involved just under 20,000 individuals. Each participant received chiropractic adjustments of the neck, with over 50,000 total adjustments for all study participants.

Once again, the researchers found no serious adverse side effects. The experts calculated the risk of total side effects to be about six out of every 10,000 consultations or every 100,000 treatment sessions. Plus, just as with the first study, some individuals did report non-serious, milder, side 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 out of every 100), and this prompted the authors to conclude 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 Your Children

The third study(3) is unique from the previous two reports, as it focuses on the safety of chiropractic care for kids. In this article, the authors analyzed data reported by both chiropractors and parents involving 816 children who participated in 7,173 chiropractic treatment sessions.

Out of 5,438 chiropractic visits made for the young children, chiropractors responding to 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. 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 has been judged safe and effective for everyone. To find out what chiropractic can do for you, call our Plainview clinic and make an appointment today at (516) 933-1034.

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.