Chiropractic Proven Safe

We see a large number of people in our Clarksdale, Hernando, Horn Lake & Olive Branch office, and Dr. Kasprack has helped many people overcome a variety of health challenges. However, one worry that seems to stop some men and women from seeking 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!"

Australian Study: Chiropractic is Safe

The first research paper(1) was published in Spine and involved 183 men and women between the ages of 20 and 85. Each person reported affected by spine-related pain, and half of the patients received real chiropractic adjustments while the remaining patients received two sham chiropractic treatments. Information was obtained after each real or fake adjustment to see if any undesirable negative effects occurred as a result of the genuine chiropractic adjustments.

The authors reported that nobody documented any significant unfavorable side effects in any way after getting one or two sessions of chiropractic. Some individuals did state that they experienced a headache (9 percent) or muscle stiffness (about 1 out of 3) after treatment, but the effects were not of a serious nature.

National Survey Reports that Chiropractic Care is Safe

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

Again, the experts discovered no serious negative side effects. The authors calculated the risk of total side effects to be about 6 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, unwanted effects such as dizziness (about 1.6%) 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 Care Is Safe for Children

This third study(3) is different from the previous two pieces of research, 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 appointments 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. 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 can do for you, call our Clarksdale, Hernando, Horn Lake & Olive Branch clinic and schedule an appointment today at (662) 890-0012.

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.