Is Chiropractic Safe?

We tend to a large number of patients in our Port Coquitlam clinic, and Northside Chiropractic has helped many people overcome a range of health issues. Even so, a frequent worry that seems to prevent a lot of women and men from pursuing treatment is whether or not chiropractic is safe. Well, according to three separate studies (out of many on the subject), the answer to this question is a resounding: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"

Chiropractic is Safe, According to Australian Study

The first research paper(1) was published in Spine and included 183 men and women. Each person was affected by some kind of back pain, and half of the people received real chiropractic care while the other half were given two sham chiropractic treatment sessions. Information was obtained after each real or fake adjustment to determine whether or not any unpleasant side effects were caused by the real chiropractic treatments.

The doctors found that no participants documented any serious adverse adverse reactions in any way after receiving one or two sessions of chiropractic care. Some people did report that they got a headache (9% of patients) or muscle stiffness (37 percent) after treatment, but the effects were not of a serious nature.

Large US Survey Reports that Chiropractic is Safe

A second research study(2), also published in the important medical journal, Spine, was done in an attempt to determine the safety of chiropractic. The study group was much larger as it involved just under 20,000 patients. Each participant received chiropractic adjustments of the neck, with over 50,000 total adjustments for all study participants.

Again, the researchers found no serious negative side effects. The authors 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 first study, some volunteers did report non-serious, milder, side effects such as dizziness (less than 2%) or a headache (4 out of every 100), 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 Adjustments are Safe for Children

The third study(3) is unique from the previous two reports, as it focuses on the safety of chiropractic care for kids. In this case, the authors analyzed 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 young ones, chiropractors answering the survey reported only three cases where there were negative 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 found to be safe and effective for everyone. To learn what chiropractic 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.