Studies Confirm that Chiropractic is Safe

We care for a large number of patients in our Henderson, NV office, and Dr. Russell and Dr. Janda has helped many people eliminate a range of health issues. However, the primary issue that seems to prevent many women and men from seeking care is whether or not chiropractic care is safe. Fortunately, according to three different studies (out of countless on the subject), the answer to this question is a clear: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"

Chiropractic is Safe, According to Australian Study

The first research paper(1) was published in Spine and involved 183 adults between the ages of 20 and 85. Each individual reported suffering from spine-related pain, and half of the individuals received real chiropractic adjustments whereas the remaining patients received two fake chiropractic adjustments. Data was obtained after each real or fake adjustment to identify if any unpleasant reactions occurred as a result of the genuine chiropractic adjustments.

The doctors found that no one reported any significant unfavorable adverse reactions at all after receiving one or two sessions of chiropractic care. Some participants did report that they got a headache (9 percent) or muscle stiffness (about 1 out of 3) after treatment, but the effects were not serious.

Nationwide Survey Confirms that Chiropractic Adjustments are Safe

A second article(2), also published in the important medical journal, Spine, was performed in an attempt to determine the safety of chiropractic. The test group was much larger as it involved just under 20,000 individuals. Each participant received chiropractic adjustments of the neck, with over 50,000 total adjustments for all patients.

Once again, the researchers found no serious negative side effects. The authors 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 out of every 100), and this caused the authors 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 Kids

The third study(3) is different from the first two pieces of research, as it focuses on the safety of chiropractic care for children. In this article, the researchers investigated data reported by both chiropractors and parents involving 816 children who participated in 7,173 chiropractic treatment sessions.

Out of 5,438 chiropractic appointments made for the children, chiropractors responding to 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. Additionally, both chiropractors and parents reported "a high rate of improvement with respect to the children's presenting complaints."

Based on these three studies (and many more!), chiropractic care has been found to be safe and effective for everyone. To discover what chiropractic can do for you, call our Henderson, NV clinic and make an appointment today at (702) 990-2225.

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.