We see a large number of patients in our Minneapolis clinic, and Dr. Erin Anderson has helped many people eliminate a wide array of health challenges. However, one worry that seems to prevent many men and women from getting 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 question is a clear: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"
Australian Study: Chiropractic is Safe
The first study(1) was published in Spine and involved 183 adults. Each participant was suffering from spinal pain, and half of the patients received real chiropractic adjustments whereas the other half were given two sham chiropractic treatments. Information was obtained after each real or fake adjustment to identify if any unpleasant reactions were caused by the actual chiropractic adjustments.
The doctors reported that none of the patients documented any significant unfavorable side effects in any way after receiving one or two sessions of chiropractic care. Some people did report that they had a headache (9% of patients) or muscle stiffness (about 1 out of 3) post-treatment, but the results were not of a serious nature.
Large US Survey Confirms that Chiropractic Adjustments are Safe
The second article(2), also released in the distinguished medical journal, Spine, was conducted in an effort to ascertain the safety of chiropractic care. The study group was much larger as it involved just under 20,000 individuals. Each participant received chiropractic adjustments of the neck, with over 50,000 total adjustments for all study participants.
Once again, the experts found no serious negative side effects. The authors computed the risk of total side effects to be approximately six out of every 10,000 consultations or every 100,000 treatment sessions. Plus, just as with the previous study, some people did report non-serious, milder, unwanted effects such as dizziness (less than 2%) 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 Is Safe for Your Children
The third study(3) is unique from the first two reports, as it focuses on the safety of chiropractic care for children. 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 kids, chiropractors answering the survey reported only three cases where there were adverse 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 care has been deemed safe and effective for everyone. To discover what chiropractic can do for you, call our Minneapolis clinic and schedule an appointment today at (612) 354-2231.
References
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.