Chiropractic: Safe for Everyone

We tend to a large number of people in our Shawnee office, and Dr. Isom has helped countless people overcome a variety of health challenges. In spite of this, a common worry that seems to prevent a lot of women and men from getting care is whether or not chiropractic care is safe. Luckily, according to three separate studies (out of many on the subject), the answer to this concern is a resounding: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"

Chiropractic is Safe, According to Australian Study

The first research paper(1) was published in Spine and involved 183 men and women between the ages of 20 and 85. Each individual reported affected by some kind of back pain, and half of the people received actual chiropractic care visits whereas the remaining patients received two sham chiropractic adjustments. Data was gathered after each real or fake adjustment to see if any unpleasant side effects occurred as a result of the genuine chiropractic treatments.

Researchers reported that none of the patients documented any significant adverse side effects in any way after getting one or two sessions of chiropractic care. Some participants 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 serious.

Large US Survey Confirms that Chiropractic is Safe

The next research study(2), also published in the influential medical journal, Spine, was performed in an effort to determine the safety of chiropractic care. 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 patients.

Again, the researchers found no serious adverse side effects. The authors calculated the risk of total adverse reactions to be approximately six out of every 10,000 consultations or every 100,000 treatment sessions. And, just as with the first study, some participants did report non-serious, milder, unwanted effects such as dizziness (16 out of every 1,000 treatment consultations and 15 out of every 1,000 treatment sessions) or a headache (4%), and this caused 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 Adjustments are Safe for Children

This third research paper(3) is different from the previous two pieces of research, as it focuses 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 visits made for the children, chiropractors answering the survey documented only three cases where there were negative side 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 studies like these, chiropractic has been deemed safe and effective for everyone. To find out what chiropractic care can do for you, call our Shawnee clinic and schedule an appointment today at (913) 735-9565.

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.