We tend to a large number of people in our Harrisburg clinic, and Blake Chiropractic & Rehabilitation has helped countless people eliminate a variety of health problems. In spite of this, a frequent worry that seems to stop a lot of women and men from seeking care is whether or not chiropractic care is safe. Fortunately, according to three different studies (out of many on the topic), the answer to this concern is a clear: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"
The first research paper(1) was published in Spine and included 183 men and women. Each individual was suffering from spinal pain, and half of the individuals received real chiropractic care while the other half were given two sham chiropractic adjustments. Information was obtained after each real or fake adjustment to identify if any unfavorable negative effects occurred as a result of the actual chiropractic treatments.
Researchers reported that no participants documented any significant negative side effects whatsoever after getting one or two sessions of chiropractic care. Some people did state that they experienced a headache (9 percent) or muscle stiffness (about 1 out of 3) post-treatment, but the results were not of a serious nature.
The second article(2), also published in the important publication, Spine, was done in an effort 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.
Once again, the experts found no serious negative side effects. The experts computed 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 participants did report non-serious, milder, side effects such as dizziness (less than 2%) or a headache (4 out of every 100), and this prompted the authors 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 previous two reports, as it concentrates on the safety of chiropractic care for children. In this article, researchers analyzed 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 children, chiropractors answering the survey reported only three cases where there were adverse side 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 learn what chiropractic care can do for you, call our Harrisburg office and schedule 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.
