Chiropractic Treatment: Safe for Everyone

We help a large number of patients in our Downtown St. Louis, MO clinic, and Dr. Holland has helped many people manage a variety of health challenges. In spite of this, a frequent issue that seems to prevent a lot of women and men from seeking care is whether or not chiropractic care is safe. Well, according to three separate studies (out of countless on the subject), 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 included 183 women and men between the ages of 20 and 85. Each test subject was affected by spine-related pain, and half of the patients received real chiropractic adjustments while the remaining patients received two fake chiropractic treatments. Information was gathered after each real or fake adjustment to identify whether or not any unpleasant side effects were caused by the actual chiropractic adjustments.

Researchers reported that nobody reported any serious negative adverse reactions whatsoever after getting one or two sessions of chiropractic care. Some individuals did state that they experienced a headache (just 9% of people) or muscle stiffness (37 percent) post-treatment, but the effects were not of a serious nature.

Nationwide Survey Confirms that Chiropractic Treatments are Safe

A second research study(2), also published in the distinguished publication, Spine, was done in an attempt to ascertain the safety of chiropractic care. The study group was much larger -- 20,000 patients. Each participant received chiropractic adjustments of the neck, with over 50,000 total adjustments for all patients.

Again, the experts discovered no serious negative side effects. The authors computed the risk of total negative effects to be approximately six 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, 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 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 different from the previous two reports, as it focuses on the safety of chiropractic care for children. In this case, the authors analyzed results reported by both chiropractors and parents involving 816 children who participated in 7,173 chiropractic adjustments.

Out of 5,438 chiropractic appointments made for the young ones, chiropractors responding to the survey reported only three cases where there were adverse reactions. 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 studies like these, chiropractic care has been deemed safe and effective for everyone. To find out what chiropractic therapy can do for you, call our Downtown St. Louis, MO clinic and schedule an appointment today at (314) 588-9100.

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.