How Safe is Chiropractic?

We tend to a large number of patients in our Harleysville, PA office, and Dr. Szilagyi has helped many people overcome a variety of health issues. However, one worry that seems to stop a lot of women and men from pursuing treatment is whether or not chiropractic is safe. Fortunately, according to three separate studies (out of many on the issue), the answer to this question 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 between the ages of 20 and 85. Each test subject reported affected by spine-related pain, and half of the people received actual chiropractic care visits whereas the other half received two sham chiropractic adjustments. Data was gathered after each real or fake adjustment to identify whether or not any unfavorable reactions were caused by the genuine chiropractic adjustments.

Researchers found that no one reported any significant unfavorable side effects in any way after receiving one or two sessions of chiropractic care. Some people did report that they got a headache (9% of patients) or muscle stiffness (37 percent) after treatment, but the effects were not of a serious nature.

National Survey Reports that Chiropractic is Safe

A second article(2), also published in the distinguished medical journal, Spine, was done in an attempt to establish the safety of chiropractic. 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 experts discovered no serious adverse side effects. The experts determined the risk of total side effects to be about 6 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 (about 1.6%) 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 Care Is Safe for Children

This third study(3) is different from the first two reports, as it concentrates on the safety of chiropractic care for children. In this case, the researchers investigated data 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 reported only three cases where there were adverse reactions. 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 care has been found to be safe and effective for everyone. To find out what chiropractic care can do for you, call our Harleysville, PA office and make an appointment today at (215) 256-4345.

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.