Studies Confirm that Chiropractic is Safe

We see a large number of patients in our Humble office, and Dr. Groneck has helped countless people eliminate a wide array of health issues. In spite of this, a common concern that seems to prevent some men and women from pursuing treatment is whether or not chiropractic adjustments are safe. Luckily, according to three separate studies (out of countless on the subject), the answer to this question is a clear: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"

Chiropractic is Safe, According to Australian Study

The first study(1) was published in Spine and involved 183 women and men between the ages of 20 and 85. Each person was suffering from spinal pain, and half of the people received real chiropractic adjustments while the remaining patients were given two sham chiropractic adjustments. Information was collected after each real or fake adjustment to see if any unfavorable negative effects occurred as a result of the genuine chiropractic adjustments.

Researchers reported that no participants reported any serious negative adverse reactions whatsoever after getting one or two sessions of chiropractic. Some people did report that they got a headache (9% of patients) or muscle stiffness (about 1 out of 3) after treatment, but the results were not of a serious nature.

Large US Survey Finds that Chiropractic Care is Safe

The second research study(2), also published in the prestigious journal, Spine, was conducted in an effort to establish the safety of chiropractic care. The study group was much larger as it involved just under 20,000 patients. Each participant received chiropractic adjustments of the neck, with over 50,000 total adjustments for all patients.

Once again, the experts found no serious negative side effects. The authors calculated the risk of total adverse reactions to be about 6 out of every 10,000 consultations or every 100,000 treatment sessions. Plus, just as with the first study, some individuals did report non-serious, milder, side effects such as dizziness (less than 2%) or a headache (4%), and this prompted 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 Is Safe for Kids

The third study(3) is unique from the first two reports, as it concentrates on the safety of chiropractic care for children. In this article, 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 young children, 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 care has been judged safe and effective for everyone. To find out what chiropractic can do for you, call our Humble clinic and make an appointment today at (281) 540-7201.

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.