We help a large number of people in our Yuma clinic, and Montero Chiropractic Clinic has helped countless people eliminate a range of health issues. In spite of this, one worry that seems to stop a lot of men and women from getting care is whether or not chiropractic is safe. Fortunately, according to three different studies (out of countless on the subject), the answer to this concern is a resounding: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"
The first article(1) was published in Spine and involved 183 adults. Each participant was suffering from spine-related pain, and half of the individuals received actual chiropractic care visits while the other half were given two sham chiropractic adjustments. Information was gathered after each real or fake adjustment to see whether or not any unfavorable reactions were caused by the genuine chiropractic adjustments.
The doctors reported that no participants documented any serious undesirable side effects whatsoever after getting one or two sessions of chiropractic care. Some people did report that they experienced a headache (9% of patients) or muscle stiffness (about 1 out of 3) post-treatment, but the results were not of a serious nature.
The next article(2), also released in the influential medical journal, Spine, was performed in an effort to ascertain the safety of chiropractic. The study 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 patients.
Again, the researchers discovered no serious adverse side effects. The experts computed 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 previous 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 authors to conclude 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 case, the authors investigated results reported by both chiropractors and parents involving 816 children who participated in 7,173 chiropractic treatment sessions.
Out of 5,438 chiropractic visits 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. 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 deemed safe and effective for everyone. To learn what chiropractic adjustments can do for you, call our Yuma office and schedule an appointment today at (928) 782-2233.
References
Dr. Humberto Montero is a Chiropractor practicing in Yuma, Arizona. Dr. Montero specializes in preventing, diagnosing, and treating conditions associated with the neuromusculoskeletal system, while improving each patients functionality and quality of life. Conditions treated include sciatica, neck pain, and arthritis pain, among many others. Dr. Montero seeks to reduce pain and discomfort through manipulation and adjustment of the spine.
