We help a large number of patients in our Nashville office, and Sweeney Chiropractic has helped countless people eliminate a wide array of health challenges. Even so, the primary worry that seems to prevent a lot of men and women from pursuing care is whether or not chiropractic adjustments are safe. Well, according to three different studies (out of countless on the subject), the answer to this question is a resounding: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"
The first study(1) was published in Spine and included 183 adults between the ages of 20 and 85. Each individual was suffering from spine-related pain, and half of the individuals received actual chiropractic care visits while the remaining patients received two sham chiropractic treatments. Data was obtained after each real or fake adjustment to see whether or not any unfavorable side effects were caused by the genuine chiropractic treatments.
The doctors found that no one reported any serious negative adverse reactions at all after getting one or two sessions of chiropractic care. Some individuals did state that they experienced a headache (9% of patients) or muscle stiffness (about 1 out of 3) post-treatment, but the effects were not serious.
The second study(2), also published in the influential publication, Spine, was done in an attempt to establish the safety of chiropractic care. The study group was much larger as it involved just under 20,000 patients. 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 experts calculated the risk of total negative effects to be approximately 6 out of every 10,000 consultations or every 100,000 treatment sessions. Plus, just as with the previous study, some individuals did report non-serious, milder, unwanted effects such as dizziness (16 out of every 1,000 treatment consultations and 15 out of every 1,000 treatment sessions) or a headache (4 out of every 100), and this caused the researchers to determine that "the risk of a serious adverse event, immediately or up to 7 days after treatment, was low to very low."
The third study(3) is different from the previous two pieces of research, as it focuses on the safety of chiropractic care for children. In this case, 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 visits made for the young ones, chiropractors answering the survey reported only three cases where there were negative 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 has been deemed safe and effective for everyone. To find out what chiropractic treatment can do for you, call our Nashville clinic and schedule an appointment today at (615) 331-7040.
References
Dr. Jim Sweeney & Dr. Jon Sweeney, your Nashville Chiropractors and Palmer College of Chiropractic West graduates, provide quality chiropractic care to patients in Nashville, TN. If you suffer from back pain, neck pain, headache, sciatica or have been in an auto collision, Sweeney Chiropractic can get you back on the road to health.
