Is Chiropractic Safe?

Is Chiropractic Safe?

West New York Chiropractic for familiesWe see a large number of patients in our West New York office, and Dr. Marsh has helped countless people manage a range of health problems. However, a frequent concern that seems to prevent some women and men from pursuing treatment is whether or not chiropractic adjustments are safe. Well, according to three different studies (out of quite a few on the topic), the answer to this concern is a clear: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"

Australian Study: Chiropractic is Safe

The first article(1) was published in Spine and involved 183 men and women between the ages of 20 and 85. Each test subject was affected by spine-related pain, and half of the patients received actual chiropractic care visits while the remaining patients were given two fake chiropractic treatments. Information was obtained after each real or fake adjustment to discover whether or not any unfavorable side effects occurred as a result of the genuine chiropractic treatments.

The doctors reported that no participants reported any serious negative adverse reactions in any way after getting one or two sessions of chiropractic care. Some individuals did state that they experienced a headache (9 percent) or muscle stiffness (37 percent) after treatment, but the effects were not serious.

National Survey Confirms that Chiropractic is Safe

A second article(2), also published in the influential publication, Spine, was done in an effort to establish the safety of chiropractic. The study group was much larger as it involved just under 20,000 people. Each participant received chiropractic adjustments of the neck, with over 50,000 total adjustments for all study participants.

Again, the investigators discovered no serious adverse side effects. The authors determined the risk of total adverse reactions to be about 6 out of every 10,000 consultations or every 100,000 treatment sessions. And, just as with the first study, some people did report non-serious, milder, unwanted 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 Adjustments are Safe for Your Children

This third research paper(3) is unique from the previous two pieces of research, as it focuses on the safety of chiropractic care for kids. In this case, the authors investigated results 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 young children, 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 and osteopathic treatments have been judged safe and effective for everyone. To learn what chiropractic care can do for you, call our West New York clinic and schedule an appointment today at (201) 869-0830.

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.
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    Anthony Marsh DO, who has nearly 40 years of healthcare experience, now oversees operations at the Osteopathic Medicine, Pain, and Rehabilitation Institute as Medical Director. He accepted this role after serving as a chiropractor Anthony Marsh DC for more than two decades and he leverages his unique blend of experience and knowledge to provide leadership as a licensed medical physician.