Is Chiropractic Safe?

We tend to a large number of patients in our Yakima office, and Dr. Covington has helped many people eliminate a variety of health problems. However, a common concern that seems to prevent a lot of folks from seeking treatment is whether or not chiropractic care is safe. Fortunately, according to three separate studies (out of quite a few on the issue), the answer to this concern is a resounding: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"

Chiropractic is Safe, According to Australian Study

The first research paper(1) was published in Spine and involved 183 adults between the ages of 20 and 85. Each individual reported suffering from spinal pain, and half of the individuals received real chiropractic adjustments while the remaining patients received two sham chiropractic treatments. Data was collected after each real or fake adjustment to discover whether or not any unfavorable negative effects were caused by the actual chiropractic treatments.

The authors found that no participants reported any serious adverse side effects at all after getting one or two sessions of chiropractic care. Some participants did state that they experienced a headache (just 9% of people) or muscle stiffness (37%) 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 prestigious journal, Spine, was done in an effort to ascertain the safety of chiropractic. The test group was much larger as it involved just under 20,000 people. Each participant received chiropractic adjustments of the cervical spine, with over 50,000 total adjustments for all patients.

Once again, the investigators discovered no serious adverse side effects. The authors determined the risk of total side effects to be about six out of every 10,000 consultations or every 100,000 treatment sessions. Plus, just as with the first study, some participants did report non-serious, milder, side effects such as dizziness (less than 2%) or a headache (4 out of every 100), and this prompted the researchers to determine 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 Kids

The third study(3) is unique from the first two pieces of research, as it concentrates on the safety of chiropractic care for kids. 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 documented only three cases where there were negative side effects. 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 has been judged safe and effective for everyone. To discover what chiropractic can do for you, call our Yakima clinic and schedule an appointment today at (509) 895-7535.

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.