Studies Confirm that Chiropractic Is Safe

We tend to a large number of people in our South Buffalo clinic, and Dr. Nowak has helped many people manage a wide array of health problems. Even so, the primary concern that seems to stop some folks from seeking treatment is whether or not chiropractic is safe. Luckily, according to three separate studies (out of quite a few on the issue), 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 involved 183 adults. Each individual reported affected by spine-related pain, and half of the individuals received real chiropractic adjustments while the other half received two fake chiropractic treatment sessions. Information was collected after each real or fake adjustment to determine if any unpleasant reactions were caused by the real chiropractic treatments.

The authors reported that nobody reported any serious negative adverse reactions in any way after receiving one or two sessions of chiropractic. Some people did report that they had a headache (just 9% of people) or muscle stiffness (about 1 out of 3) post-treatment, but the effects were not serious.

National Survey Reports that Chiropractic is Safe

A second article(2), also published in the influential journal, Spine, was conducted in an attempt to establish the safety of chiropractic care. The test group was much larger as it involved just under 20,000 patients. Each participant received chiropractic adjustments of the cervical spine, with over 50,000 total adjustments for all patients.

Again, the experts found no serious negative side effects. The authors computed the risk of total negative 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 volunteers did report non-serious, milder, side effects such as dizziness (less than 2%) or a headache (4%), and this prompted the researchers to conclude 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 study(3) is unique from the first two reports, as it focuses 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 young ones, chiropractors responding to the survey documented only three cases where there were adverse effects. When parents were questioned, 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 find out what chiropractic can do for you, call our South Buffalo clinic and schedule an appointment today at (716) 825-4121.

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.