Chiropractic Therapy Proven Safe

Prescott Studies Confirm that Chiropractic Is Safe

We care for a large number of patients in our Prescott clinic, and Weary Chiropractic Clinic has helped countless people manage a range of health issues. In spite of this, one worry that seems to stop a lot of women and men from pursuing treatment is whether or not chiropractic is safe. Luckily, according to three separate studies (out of countless on the topic), the answer to this question is a resounding: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"

Chiropractic is Safe, According to Australian Study

The first study(1) was published in Spine and involved 183 men and women. Each test subject was affected by spine-related pain, and half of the patients received actual chiropractic care visits whereas the remaining patients were given two fake chiropractic treatment sessions. Data was obtained after each real or fake adjustment to identify whether or not any unfavorable reactions occurred as a result of the genuine chiropractic adjustments.

The authors reported that no participants reported any significant negative side effects whatsoever after getting one or two sessions of chiropractic. Some participants did report that they got a headache (9% of patients) or muscle stiffness (37%) post-treatment, but the results were not serious.

Large US Survey Confirms that Chiropractic Treatments are Safe

The next research study(2), also released in the important publication, Spine, was done in an effort to establish 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 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. Plus, just as with the first study, some volunteers did report non-serious, milder, side effects such as dizziness (about 1.6%) or a headache (4 out of every 100), 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 Kids

This third research paper(3) is different from the first two pieces of research, as it focuses on the safety of chiropractic care for kids. In this article, the researchers investigated results 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 young ones, chiropractors answering the survey documented only three cases where there were adverse reactions. When parents were questioned, 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 judged safe and effective for everyone. To find out what chiropractic adjustments can do for you, call our Prescott office and make an appointment today at (928) 778-2227.

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.