Studies Confirm that Chiropractic Is Safe

Studies Confirm that Chiropractic Is Safe

We see a large number of people in our Sayville clinic, and Precision Chiropractic has helped countless people eliminate a variety of health issues. In spite of this, a common worry that seems to prevent many folks from seeking treatment is whether or not chiropractic is safe. Luckily, according to three different studies (out of countless on the issue), the answer to this question 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. Each person reported affected by spinal pain, and half of the individuals received real chiropractic care whereas the other half received two fake chiropractic treatment sessions. Information was collected after each real or fake adjustment to identify if any unpleasant side effects were caused by the genuine chiropractic treatments.

The authors reported that no one reported any serious undesirable side effects in any way after receiving one or two sessions of chiropractic. Some participants did state that they experienced a headache (just 9% of people) or muscle stiffness (37%) post-treatment, but the effects were not of a serious nature.

Large US Survey Confirms that Chiropractic is Safe

The second research study(2), also released in the influential journal, Spine, was performed in an effort to determine 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 experts found no serious negative side effects. The authors calculated the risk of total adverse reactions to be about 6 out of every 10,000 consultations or every 100,000 treatment sessions. And, just as with the previous study, some individuals did report non-serious, milder, unwanted effects such as dizziness (about 1.6%) or a headache (4 out of every 100), 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 Is Safe for Your Children

The third study(3) is different from the previous two reports, as it concentrates 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 adjustments.

Out of 5,438 chiropractic appointments made for the young ones, chiropractors answering the survey documented only three cases where there were adverse reactions. 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 these three studies (and many more!), chiropractic care has been deemed safe and effective for everyone. To find out what chiropractic care can do for you, call our Sayville office and schedule an appointment today at (631) 567-7807.

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.