We see a large number of patients in our Harrisburg office, and Blake Chiropractic & Rehabilitation has helped countless people eliminate a variety of health challenges. However, the primary worry that seems to prevent many men and women from pursuing treatment is whether or not chiropractic is safe. Fortunately, according to three different studies (out of quite a few on the subject), the answer to this question is a resounding: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"
The first research paper(1) was published in Spine and included 183 adults between the ages of 20 and 85. Each test subject was suffering from some kind of back pain, and half of the patients received real chiropractic adjustments while the remaining patients were given two fake chiropractic treatments. Information was gathered after each real or fake adjustment to determine whether or not any unfavorable reactions were caused by the real chiropractic treatments.
Researchers found that nobody reported any serious undesirable side effects whatsoever after receiving one or two sessions of chiropractic care. Some individuals did report that they had a headache (just 9% of people) or muscle stiffness (37%) after treatment, but the results were not of a serious nature.
The second study(2), also released in the distinguished publication, Spine, was conducted in an effort to ascertain the safety of chiropractic care. The study group was much larger -- 20,000 patients. Each participant received chiropractic adjustments of the cervical spine, with over 50,000 total adjustments for all patients.
Again, the experts discovered no serious adverse side effects. The experts determined the risk of total side 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 volunteers did report non-serious, milder, side 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%), 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."
This third study(3) is different from the first two pieces of research, as it concentrates on the safety of chiropractic care for children. In this case, the 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 kids, chiropractors responding to the survey documented only three cases where there were adverse 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 care has been judged safe and effective for everyone. To discover what chiropractic can do for you, call our Harrisburg office and make an appointment today at (717) 657-2561.
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Trust the medical professionals at Blake Chiropractic & Rehab for all of your chiropractic needs. We have more than 26 years of experience and work to ensure your complete satisfaction. Our staff is dedicated to providing top-quality chiropractic care, so make an appointment today. We are conveniently located right off Route 22, beside the Colonial Park Fire Department, and accept most major insurance plans.
