Studies Confirm that Chiropractic Care Is Safe

We see a large number of patients in our Plainville clinic, and Dr. Necole LaRue has helped countless people eliminate a variety of health problems. In spite of this, a common issue that seems to stop a lot of folks from pursuing treatment is whether or not chiropractic is safe. Luckily, according to three separate studies (out of countless on the issue), the answer to this concern is a resounding: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"

Chiropractic is Safe, According to Australian Study

The first study(1) was published in Spine and involved 183 men and women between the ages of 20 and 85. Each test subject was suffering from some kind of back pain, and half of the people received actual chiropractic care visits while the remaining patients received two fake chiropractic adjustments. Data was gathered after each real or fake adjustment to determine whether or not any undesirable reactions were caused by the actual chiropractic treatments.

Researchers found that nobody documented any serious unfavorable adverse reactions whatsoever after receiving one or two sessions of chiropractic care. Some participants did report that they got a headache (just 9% of people) or muscle stiffness (37%) post-treatment, but the results were not serious.

National Survey Reports that Chiropractic Care is Safe

A second study(2), also published in the distinguished medical journal, Spine, was performed in an attempt to establish the safety of chiropractic care. The test 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 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. Plus, just as with the first study, some people did report non-serious, milder, side 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 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 Treatments are Safe for Kids

The third research paper(3) is different from the first two reports, as it concentrates on the safety of chiropractic care for children. In this article, researchers analyzed data reported by both chiropractors and parents involving 816 children who participated in 7,173 chiropractic adjustments.

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 surveyed, 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 studies like these, chiropractic has been judged safe and effective for everyone. To find out what chiropractic treatment can do for you, call our Plainville clinic and schedule an appointment today at (508) 643-7050.

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.