Chiropractic Care Proven Safe

We tend to a large number of patients in our Kettering clinic, and Dr. Poelking has helped countless people eliminate a variety of health issues. However, a common issue that seems to prevent many folks from getting care is whether or not chiropractic adjustments are safe. Well, according to three different studies (out of countless on the issue), the answer to this concern is a clear: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"

Chiropractic is Safe, According to Australian Study

The first study(1) was published in Spine and included 183 men and women between the ages of 20 and 85. Each participant reported affected by spinal pain, and half of the individuals received real chiropractic adjustments while the other half received two sham chiropractic treatment sessions. Information was gathered after each real or fake adjustment to determine if any undesirable negative effects were caused by the real chiropractic treatments.

The doctors found that no participants documented any serious unfavorable side effects whatsoever after getting one or two sessions of chiropractic care. Some participants did report that they had a headache (9 percent) or muscle stiffness (37%) post-treatment, but the results were not serious.

National Survey Reports that Chiropractic Care is Safe

The next research study(2), also released in the important publication, Spine, was done in an effort to establish the safety of chiropractic. The study group was much larger -- 20,000 individuals. Each participant received chiropractic adjustments of the neck, with over 50,000 total adjustments for all patients.

Again, the experts found no serious adverse side effects. The authors computed the risk of total side effects to be approximately six out of every 10,000 consultations or every 100,000 treatment sessions. Plus, just as with the previous study, some volunteers did report non-serious, milder, side effects such as dizziness (less than 2%) or a headache (4 out of every 100), and this caused 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 Children

The third research paper(3) is different from the first two reports, as it focuses on the safety of chiropractic care for children. In this article, researchers 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 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 studies like these, chiropractic has been deemed safe and effective for everyone. To learn what chiropractic therapy can do for you, call our Kettering clinic and schedule an appointment today at (937) 299-2900.

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.