We see a large number of people in our Harrisburg office, and Blake Chiropractic & Rehabilitation has helped countless people overcome a range of health challenges. Even so, one worry that seems to stop many people from pursuing treatment is whether or not chiropractic care is safe. Luckily, according to three separate studies (out of many on the topic), the answer to this question is a resounding: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"
The first study(1) was published in Spine and involved 183 men and women between the ages of 20 and 85. Each test subject reported affected by spine-related pain, and half of the people received real chiropractic adjustments whereas the other half were given two fake chiropractic adjustments. Information was gathered after each real or fake adjustment to determine whether or not any unfavorable reactions were caused by the actual chiropractic adjustments.
The doctors found that none of the patients reported any serious unfavorable adverse reactions whatsoever after receiving one or two sessions of chiropractic. Some people did report that they experienced a headache (just 9% of people) or muscle stiffness (37 percent) after treatment, but the effects were not serious.
The second article(2), also released in the distinguished publication, Spine, was conducted in an attempt to ascertain the safety of chiropractic. The test group was much larger as it involved just under 20,000 individuals. Each participant received chiropractic adjustments of the neck, with over 50,000 total adjustments for all study participants.
Once again, the investigators discovered no serious adverse side effects. The experts determined the risk of total side effects to be approximately six out of every 10,000 consultations or every 100,000 treatment sessions. And, just as with the previous study, some individuals did report non-serious, milder, side effects such as dizziness (less than 2%) or a headache (4 out of every 100), and this caused the researchers 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 article, 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 children, chiropractors responding to the survey reported only three cases where there were adverse reactions. 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 these three studies (and many more!), chiropractic care has been judged safe and effective for everyone. To find out 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.
