We care for a large number of people in our North County St. Louis, MO clinic, and Dr. Mark Holland has helped countless people eliminate a variety of health challenges. In spite of this, the primary worry that seems to stop some men and women from seeking care is whether or not chiropractic adjustments are safe. Luckily, according to three different studies (out of many on the issue), the answer to this question is a resounding: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"
The first study(1) was published in Spine and involved 183 adults. Each test subject was 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 collected after each real or fake adjustment to see whether or not any unfavorable side effects were caused by the genuine chiropractic adjustments.
Researchers found that none of the patients documented any serious negative side effects at all after receiving one or two sessions of chiropractic. Some individuals did report that they experienced a headache (just 9% of people) or muscle stiffness (37%) post-treatment, but the effects were not of a serious nature.
The second study(2), also published in the influential medical journal, Spine, was conducted in an attempt to ascertain the safety of chiropractic. The test group was much larger -- 20,000 people. Each participant received chiropractic adjustments of the cervical spine, 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 adverse reactions to be about 6 out of every 10,000 consultations or every 100,000 treatment sessions. Plus, just as with the previous study, some participants 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."
This third study(3) is unique from the first two reports, as it concentrates on the safety of chiropractic care for kids. In this article, 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 kids, chiropractors responding to the survey reported only three cases where there were adverse effects. 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 studies like these, chiropractic has been deemed safe and effective for everyone. To learn what chiropractic care can do for you, call our North County St. Louis, MO office and schedule an appointment today at (314) 867-8888.
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We have a long-standing track record or helping people get out of pain with chiropractic care. Whether you were injured last week, or have been suffering from chronic pain for years - It might only take one visit to our office in Downtown Saint Louis, MO to get you back on the path to everyday health.
