Studies Confirm that Chiropractic is Safe

We care for a large number of people in our Depew clinic, and Dr. Palmer has helped many people eliminate a variety of health problems. In spite of this, the primary concern that seems to stop many people from getting treatment is whether or not chiropractic is safe. Well, according to three separate studies (out of countless on the topic), the answer to this concern is a clear: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"

Australian Study: Chiropractic is Safe

The first research paper(1) was published in Spine and involved 183 men and women. Each person was affected by spine-related pain, and half of the patients received real chiropractic adjustments while the other half were given two sham chiropractic adjustments. Data was collected after each real or fake adjustment to identify whether or not any unpleasant reactions were caused by the genuine chiropractic treatments.

Researchers reported that nobody reported any significant undesirable side effects whatsoever after receiving one or two sessions of chiropractic care. Some participants did state that they experienced a headache (9% of patients) or muscle stiffness (about 1 out of 3) post-treatment, but the results were not of a serious nature.

Large US Survey Finds that Chiropractic is Safe

The next research study(2), also published in the important publication, Spine, was performed in an attempt to determine the safety of chiropractic. 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 study participants.

Once again, the investigators discovered no serious negative side effects. The experts computed the risk of total adverse reactions to be approximately 6 out of every 10,000 consultations or every 100,000 treatment sessions. Plus, just as with the previous study, some participants 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 caused the authors to determine 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 Kids

This third research paper(3) is different from the first two pieces of research, as it concentrates on the safety of chiropractic care for children. In this article, 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 kids, chiropractors answering the survey reported only three cases where there were adverse reactions. When parents were questioned, 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 can do for you, call our Depew office and make an appointment today at (716) 668-2225.

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.