We tend to a large number of people in our Downtown St. Louis, MO clinic, and Dr. Holland has helped countless people eliminate a range of health problems. Even so, one concern that seems to prevent many men and women from seeking treatment is whether or not chiropractic is safe. Well, according to three separate studies (out of countless on the issue), the answer to this question is a clear: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"
The first study(1) was published in Spine and included 183 adults. Each test subject reported suffering from spine-related pain, and half of the individuals received actual chiropractic care visits while the remaining patients were given two fake chiropractic adjustments. Data was collected after each real or fake adjustment to see whether or not any unfavorable reactions occurred as a result of the genuine chiropractic treatments.
The authors found that no one reported any serious unfavorable adverse reactions whatsoever after receiving one or two sessions of chiropractic care. Some participants did state that they got a headache (just 9% of people) or muscle stiffness (37%) after treatment, but the effects were not serious.
The second article(2), also published in the prestigious medical journal, Spine, was conducted in an effort to determine the safety of chiropractic care. The study group was much larger -- 20,000 individuals. Each participant received chiropractic adjustments of the neck, with over 50,000 total adjustments for all patients.
Once again, the investigators discovered no serious negative 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 previous study, some participants did report non-serious, milder, unwanted effects such as dizziness (less than 2%) or a headache (4%), and this caused 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."
This third study(3) is different from the previous two reports, as it focuses on the safety of chiropractic care for kids. In this case, researchers 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 children, chiropractors answering the survey documented 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 these three studies (and many more!), chiropractic care has been found to be safe and effective for everyone. To find out what chiropractic care can do for you, call our Downtown St. Louis, MO office and schedule an appointment today at (314) 588-9100.
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We have a long-standing track record or helping people get out of pain with chiropractic care. Whether you were injured last week, or have been suffering from chronic pain for years - It might only take one visit to our office in Downtown Saint Louis, MO to get you back on the path to everyday health.
