Studies Confirm that Chiropractic is Safe

We see a large number of patients in our Henderson, NV office, and Dr. Russell and Dr. Janda has helped countless people overcome a range of health challenges. Even so, the primary issue that seems to prevent a lot of people from pursuing treatment is whether or not chiropractic is safe. Fortunately, according to three different studies (out of many on the topic), the answer to this concern 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 test subject reported affected by some kind of back pain, and half of the people received real chiropractic adjustments whereas the other half received two fake chiropractic adjustments. Data was gathered after each real or fake adjustment to identify whether or not any unfavorable reactions were caused by the real chiropractic treatments.

The authors found that nobody reported any significant undesirable side effects at all after receiving one or two sessions of chiropractic. Some individuals did report that they experienced a headache (9 percent) or muscle stiffness (37 percent) after treatment, but the effects were not of a serious nature.

Nationwide Survey Reports that Chiropractic Care is Safe

A second research study(2), also released in the influential publication, Spine, was performed in an effort to determine the safety of chiropractic. The study group was much larger as it involved just under 20,000 patients. Each participant received chiropractic adjustments of the cervical spine, with over 50,000 total adjustments for all patients.

Again, the investigators found no serious adverse side effects. The authors calculated the risk of total side effects to be about six out of every 10,000 consultations or every 100,000 treatment sessions. Plus, just as with the first study, some participants did report non-serious, milder, side effects such as dizziness (less than 2%) or a headache (4%), 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 Your Children

The third study(3) is unique from the first two pieces of research, as it focuses on the safety of chiropractic care for kids. In this case, the researchers investigated 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 young children, chiropractors answering the survey reported 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 can do for you, call our Henderson, NV clinic and schedule 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.