Studies Confirm that Chiropractic is Safe

We care for a large number of people in our Moon Township office, and Dr. Spiropoulos has helped many people manage a wide array of health problems. Even so, the primary concern that seems to stop some folks from getting treatment 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 study(1) was published in Spine and involved 183 women and men. Each individual was suffering from spine-related pain, and half of the patients received real chiropractic adjustments whereas the remaining patients were given two fake chiropractic adjustments. Data was collected after each real or fake adjustment to discover if any undesirable negative effects occurred as a result of the real chiropractic adjustments.

Researchers found that no one documented any serious unfavorable adverse reactions in any way after getting one or two sessions of chiropractic. Some individuals did state that they got a headache (9% of patients) or muscle stiffness (about 1 out of 3) after treatment, but the effects were not serious.

Nationwide Survey Confirms that Chiropractic Care is Safe

The next research study(2), also published in the prestigious medical journal, Spine, was conducted in an effort to determine the safety of chiropractic. The test group was much larger -- 20,000 patients. Each participant received chiropractic adjustments of the neck, with over 50,000 total adjustments for all patients.

Once again, the experts discovered no serious negative side effects. The authors computed the risk of total adverse reactions to be approximately 6 out of every 10,000 consultations or every 100,000 treatment sessions. And, just as with the first study, some participants did report non-serious, milder, unwanted effects such as dizziness (about 1.6%) or a headache (4%), 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 Adjustments are 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 article, the researchers analyzed data 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 children, chiropractors responding to the survey reported only three cases where there were adverse side effects. 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 has been judged safe and effective for everyone. To learn what chiropractic can do for you, call our Moon Township office and make an appointment today at (724) 513-0521.

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.