Chiropractic: Safe for Everyone

We see a large number of patients in our Anchorage office, and Dr. David J. Mulholland has helped countless people manage a range of health challenges. Even so, a common issue that seems to stop some folks 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 concern is a resounding: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"

Chiropractic is Safe, According to Australian Study

The first study(1) was published in Spine and involved 183 men and women. Each test subject was suffering from some kind of back pain, and half of the individuals received real chiropractic care whereas the remaining patients received two sham chiropractic treatments. Data was obtained after each real or fake adjustment to discover whether or not any unpleasant negative effects occurred as a result of the genuine chiropractic treatments.

The doctors found that none of the patients documented any serious unfavorable side effects in any way after getting one or two sessions of chiropractic care. Some participants did report that they experienced a headache (just 9% of people) or muscle stiffness (about 1 out of 3) post-treatment, but the effects were not serious.

National Survey Reports that Chiropractic is Safe

A second research study(2), also published in the distinguished journal, Spine, was performed in an effort to determine the safety of chiropractic care. The study group was much larger -- 20,000 patients. Each participant received chiropractic adjustments of the cervical spine, with over 50,000 total adjustments for all patients.

Once again, the experts found no serious adverse side effects. The experts computed the risk of total negative effects to be approximately six out of every 10,000 consultations or every 100,000 treatment sessions. And, just as with the first study, some people did report non-serious, milder, side effects such as dizziness (less than 2%) or a headache (4%), 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 Adjustments are Safe for Children

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 case, researchers analyzed data reported by both chiropractors and parents involving 816 children who participated in 7,173 chiropractic treatment sessions.

Out of 5,438 chiropractic visits made for the kids, chiropractors answering 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. 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 found to be safe and effective for everyone. To find out what chiropractic can do for you, call our Anchorage office and make an appointment today at (907) 770-5700.

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.