Studies Confirm that Chiropractic is Safe

We see a large number of patients in our Jacksonville, FL clinic, and Dr. Chanatry has helped many people manage a range of health issues. However, one worry that seems to prevent some people from pursuing care is whether or not chiropractic is safe. Fortunately, according to three separate studies (out of countless on the topic), the answer to this concern is a resounding: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"

Australian Study: Chiropractic is Safe

The first study(1) was published in Spine and included 183 men and women. Each test subject was affected by some kind of back pain, and half of the individuals received actual chiropractic care visits while the other half were given two sham chiropractic adjustments. Information was gathered after each real or fake adjustment to identify if any unfavorable reactions occurred as a result of the real chiropractic adjustments.

Researchers found that no participants reported any significant negative side effects at all after receiving one or two sessions of chiropractic care. Some participants did state that they experienced a headache (just 9% of people) or muscle stiffness (37 percent) after treatment, but the effects were not serious.

Nationwide Survey Finds that Chiropractic is Safe

A second article(2), also released in the influential publication, 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 cervical spine, with over 50,000 total adjustments for all patients.

Once again, the researchers discovered no serious adverse side effects. The authors calculated the risk of total side effects 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 (about 1.6%) or a headache (4%), and this prompted the researchers 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

The third research paper(3) is different from the first two pieces of research, as it focuses on the safety of chiropractic care for children. In this case, researchers investigated results reported by both chiropractors and parents involving 816 children who participated in 7,173 chiropractic treatment sessions.

Out of 5,438 chiropractic appointments made for the young ones, chiropractors answering the survey reported only three cases where there were adverse side 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 deemed safe and effective for everyone. To find out what chiropractic can do for you, call our Jacksonville, FL office and schedule an appointment today at (904) 743-6700.

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.