We see a large number of people in our North County St. Louis, MO clinic, and Dr. Holland has helped many people manage a variety of health issues. In spite of this, one worry that seems to prevent some men and women from seeking treatment is whether or not chiropractic is safe. Luckily, according to three different studies (out of countless on the subject), the answer to this concern is a clear: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"
The first article(1) was published in Spine and included 183 women and men between the ages of 20 and 85. Each participant was affected by spinal pain, and half of the patients received real chiropractic care whereas the other half were given two sham chiropractic treatments. Data was obtained after each real or fake adjustment to determine whether or not any undesirable negative effects occurred as a result of the genuine chiropractic treatments.
The authors found that nobody documented any serious unfavorable adverse reactions whatsoever after getting one or two sessions of chiropractic care. Some individuals did state that they experienced a headache (9 percent) or muscle stiffness (37 percent) post-treatment, but the effects were not serious.
The second study(2), also published in the distinguished 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 individuals. Each participant received chiropractic adjustments of the cervical spine, with over 50,000 total adjustments for all patients.
Again, the researchers found no serious adverse side effects. The experts determined 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 first study, some people 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 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 unique from the first two reports, as it focuses on the safety of chiropractic care for children. In this case, researchers analyzed results 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 documented only three cases where there were adverse effects. When parents were questioned, 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 found to be safe and effective for everyone. To find out what chiropractic adjustments can do for you, call our North County St. Louis, MO clinic 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.
