Chiropractic: Safe for Everyone

Harleysville, PA Chiropractic for familiesWe tend to a large number of patients in our Harleysville, PA clinic, and Dr. Szilagyi has helped many people eliminate a wide array of health problems. Even so, a common issue that seems to stop many folks from getting care is whether or not chiropractic adjustments are safe. Luckily, 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 involved 183 women and men. Each test subject reported suffering from some kind of back pain, and half of the people received actual chiropractic care visits whereas the remaining patients received two fake chiropractic treatments. Information was obtained after each real or fake adjustment to identify if any unpleasant side effects were caused by the genuine chiropractic treatments.

Researchers reported that no participants reported any serious negative adverse reactions in any way after receiving one or two sessions of chiropractic. Some people did state that they experienced a headache (just 9% of people) or muscle stiffness (37%) post-treatment, but the effects were not of a serious nature.

Nationwide Survey Reports that Chiropractic is Safe

The second study(2), also released in the influential medical journal, Spine, was conducted in an attempt to determine the safety of chiropractic care. The test 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 study participants.

Once again, the researchers discovered no serious negative side effects. The authors calculated the risk of total negative 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 people did report non-serious, milder, unwanted effects such as dizziness (less than 2%) or a headache (4 out of every 100), and this caused 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 Is Safe for Your Children

This third study(3) is unique from the previous two pieces of research, as it focuses on the safety of chiropractic care for children. In this case, 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 young children, chiropractors answering the survey reported 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 care can do for you, call our Harleysville, PA clinic and schedule an appointment today at (215) 256-4345.

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.
Tweet
  1. chiropractor near me

    Dr. Joseph Szilagyi is a chiropractor serving Harleysville and the surrounding area. Our chiropractor and the rest of the welcoming team at Szilagyi Chiropractic are committed to providing chiropractic solutions to address your unique needs, whether you are experiencing back pain, neck pain, headaches, or even muscular tightness and tension. You may be searching for pain relief after an accident, experiencing an injury, or if you suffer from a specific condition like chronic back pain or a spinal condition.