Is Chiropractic Safe?

We care for a large number of people in our Port Coquitlam office, and Northside Chiropractic has helped many people overcome a wide array of health challenges. However, the primary issue that seems to prevent many men and women from getting treatment is whether or not chiropractic is safe. Luckily, according to three different studies (out of countless on the subject), the answer to this concern is a clear: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"

Chiropractic is Safe, According to Australian Study

The first article(1) was published in Spine and included 183 adults between the ages of 20 and 85. Each test subject reported affected by spine-related pain, and half of the patients received real chiropractic adjustments while the other half were given two fake chiropractic treatment sessions. Data was obtained after each real or fake adjustment to see whether or not any undesirable negative effects occurred as a result of the real chiropractic adjustments.

The doctors reported that none of the patients reported any significant undesirable side effects in any way after receiving one or two sessions of chiropractic care. Some individuals did report that they experienced a headache (9% of patients) or muscle stiffness (about 1 out of 3) post-treatment, but the effects were not serious.

Large US Survey Confirms that Chiropractic Adjustments are Safe

A second research study(2), also released in the influential publication, Spine, was done in an effort to establish the safety of chiropractic. The test group was much larger -- 20,000 individuals. 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 experts determined the risk of total negative effects to be about six out of every 10,000 consultations or every 100,000 treatment sessions. Plus, just as with the first study, some participants did report non-serious, milder, side effects such as dizziness (about 1.6%) or a headache (4 out of every 100), and this caused 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 Kids

This third study(3) is unique from the previous two reports, as it concentrates on the safety of chiropractic care for children. In this case, the authors investigated data 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 children, chiropractors answering the survey reported only three cases where there were adverse side effects. 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 has been judged safe and effective for everyone. To find out what chiropractic care can do for you, call our Port Coquitlam office and schedule an appointment today at (604) 941-4596.

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.