How Safe is Chiropractic?

We care for a large number of people in our Denton, TX clinic, and Dr. Steve Eustice has helped many people overcome a wide array of health issues. Even so, the primary concern that seems to prevent some people from seeking care is whether or not chiropractic care is safe. Well, according to three different studies (out of countless on the issue), the answer to this question is a clear: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"

Chiropractic is Safe, According to Australian Study

The first article(1) was published in Spine and included 183 women and men. Each person reported affected by some kind of back pain, and half of the people received real chiropractic care whereas the remaining patients were given two sham chiropractic treatments. Data was obtained after each real or fake adjustment to identify whether or not any unfavorable negative effects occurred as a result of the real chiropractic adjustments.

Researchers reported that none of the patients documented any significant negative adverse reactions whatsoever after receiving one or two sessions of chiropractic care. Some individuals did report that they got a headache (9% of patients) or muscle stiffness (about 1 out of 3) after treatment, but the effects were not of a serious nature.

National Survey Confirms that Chiropractic Care is Safe

The second research study(2), also released in the influential publication, Spine, was conducted in an effort to determine the safety of chiropractic care. 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 study participants.

Once again, the experts discovered no serious negative side effects. The authors determined 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 (about 1.6%) or a headache (4 out of every 100), 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 Is Safe for Kids

The third research paper(3) is unique from the previous two pieces of research, as it focuses on the safety of chiropractic care for children. In this case, researchers analyzed results reported by both chiropractors and parents involving 816 children who participated in 7,173 chiropractic adjustments.

Out of 5,438 chiropractic visits made for the young children, chiropractors responding to 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. Additionally, 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 judged safe and effective for everyone. To learn what chiropractic care can do for you, call our Denton, TX office and make an appointment today at (940) 591-9097.

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.