How Safe is Chiropractic?

We tend to a large number of patients in our Mauldin office, and Dr. Izquierdo has helped countless people overcome a range of health problems. Even so, the primary issue that seems to stop many men and women from pursuing care is whether or not chiropractic care is safe. Fortunately, according to three different studies (out of many on the issue), the answer to this concern is a clear: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"

Chiropractic is Safe, According to Australian Study

The first study(1) was published in Spine and involved 183 men and women between the ages of 20 and 85. Each participant reported suffering from spine-related pain, and half of the individuals received real chiropractic adjustments whereas the remaining patients received two sham chiropractic treatments. Information was gathered after each real or fake adjustment to discover whether or not any unpleasant reactions were caused by the actual chiropractic treatments.

The doctors found that nobody reported any serious negative side effects in any way after receiving one or two sessions of chiropractic care. Some individuals did report that they experienced a headache (9% of patients) or muscle stiffness (37%) after treatment, but the results were not of a serious nature.

Nationwide Survey Reports that Chiropractic is 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 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 patients.

Once again, the investigators found 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. And, just as with the first study, some volunteers 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%), 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 Kids

This third study(3) is unique from the previous two reports, as it focuses on the safety of chiropractic care for kids. In this case, researchers investigated 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 children, chiropractors answering the survey reported only three cases where there were negative side effects. 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 learn what chiropractic care can do for you, call our Mauldin clinic and make an appointment today at (864) 627-4325.

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.