Studies Confirm that Chiropractic is Safe

We tend to a large number of patients in our Rochester Hills, MI office, and Dr. Dalton has helped many people eliminate a range of health issues. In spite of this, the primary worry that seems to stop some women and men from seeking treatment is whether or not chiropractic adjustments are safe. Well, according to three separate studies (out of many on the topic), the answer to this concern is a resounding: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"

Australian Study: Chiropractic is Safe

The first article(1) was published in Spine and involved 183 adults. Each test subject was suffering from spinal pain, and half of the individuals received real chiropractic care whereas the other half received two fake chiropractic treatment sessions. Data was collected after each real or fake adjustment to determine if any undesirable negative effects occurred as a result of the genuine chiropractic adjustments.

The authors reported that nobody documented any significant adverse side effects at all after receiving one or two sessions of chiropractic care. Some individuals did state that they got a headache (just 9% of people) or muscle stiffness (37 percent) post-treatment, but the effects were not serious.

National Survey Confirms that Chiropractic is Safe

The second article(2), also released in the distinguished journal, Spine, was performed in an attempt to determine the safety of chiropractic. The study group was much larger as it involved just under 20,000 people. Each participant received chiropractic adjustments of the neck, with over 50,000 total adjustments for all study participants.

Once again, the researchers found no serious negative side effects. The experts computed the risk of total adverse reactions to be about six out of every 10,000 consultations or every 100,000 treatment sessions. And, 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 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 Care Is Safe for Your Children

The third research paper(3) is different from the first two reports, as it concentrates on the safety of chiropractic care for children. In this case, the authors analyzed results 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 children, chiropractors answering the survey documented only three cases where there were adverse reactions. 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 care has been deemed safe and effective for everyone. To discover what chiropractic care can do for you, call our Rochester Hills, MI clinic and make an appointment today at (248) 977-7039.

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.