Chiropractic: Safe for Everyone

We see a large number of people in our Gadsden clinic, and Gadsden Family Chiropractic has helped countless people eliminate a variety of health issues. However, the primary issue that seems to prevent some folks from seeking care is whether or not chiropractic adjustments are safe. Well, according to three different studies (out of countless on the subject), the answer to this concern is a resounding: "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 individual reported suffering from spinal pain, and half of the people received actual chiropractic care visits while the remaining patients were given two fake chiropractic treatment sessions. Information was collected after each real or fake adjustment to see if any undesirable negative effects were caused by the real chiropractic adjustments.

Researchers reported that none of the patients reported any serious undesirable adverse reactions in any way after getting one or two sessions of chiropractic care. Some participants did report that they had a headache (9 percent) or muscle stiffness (37 percent) after treatment, but the effects were not serious.

National Survey Confirms that Chiropractic is Safe

A second study(2), also released in the distinguished journal, Spine, was done in an attempt 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 investigators found no serious negative side effects. The authors determined the risk of total side effects to be about six out of every 10,000 consultations or every 100,000 treatment sessions. And, 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 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 Your Children

The third research paper(3) is different from the previous two reports, as it concentrates on the safety of chiropractic care for kids. In this article, researchers analyzed 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 children, 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 studies like these, chiropractic care has been deemed safe and effective for everyone. To find out what chiropractic care can do for you, call our Gadsden office and make an appointment today at (256) 543-3033.

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.