Chiropractic Proven Safe

We see a large number of patients in our Harleysville clinic, and Dr. Szilagyi has helped countless people overcome a wide array of health challenges. In spite of this, a frequent issue that seems to prevent some people from pursuing care is whether or not chiropractic adjustments are safe. Luckily, according to three separate studies (out of countless on the topic), the answer to this concern is a resounding: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"

Australian Study: Chiropractic is Safe

The first article(1) was published in Spine and involved 183 women and men. Each participant was affected by spinal pain, and half of the individuals received actual chiropractic care visits while the other half were given two fake chiropractic treatments. Information was gathered after each real or fake adjustment to discover whether or not any unpleasant negative effects occurred as a result of the actual chiropractic adjustments.

The authors reported that no one documented any serious undesirable adverse reactions in any way after receiving one or two sessions of chiropractic care. Some people did report that they got a headache (9 percent) or muscle stiffness (37 percent) after treatment, but the results were not serious.

Large US Survey Reports that Chiropractic is Safe

A second article(2), also published in the distinguished medical journal, Spine, was done in an attempt to ascertain the safety of chiropractic. The study group was much larger -- 20,000 individuals. Each participant received chiropractic adjustments of the neck, with over 50,000 total adjustments for all patients.

Once again, the researchers discovered no serious negative side effects. The authors computed the risk of total negative effects to be approximately six out of every 10,000 consultations or every 100,000 treatment sessions. Plus, just as with the first study, some volunteers 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 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 Children

The third study(3) is different from the first two pieces of research, as it focuses on the safety of chiropractic care for kids. In this case, the authors investigated results 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 responding to the survey documented 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 these three studies (and many more!), chiropractic care has been judged safe and effective for everyone. To learn what chiropractic can do for you, call our Harleysville 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.