We tend to a large number of patients in our Harrisburg office, and Dr. Blake has helped countless people overcome a range of health issues. In spite of this, one issue that seems to prevent a lot of folks from pursuing care is whether or not chiropractic care is safe. Luckily, according to three separate studies (out of many on the subject), the answer to this question is a resounding: "Yes! Chiropractic is safe!"
The first study(1) was published in Spine and involved 183 women and men. Each test subject reported suffering from spine-related pain, and half of the patients received real chiropractic adjustments whereas the other half received two fake chiropractic treatment sessions. Data was obtained after each real or fake adjustment to discover if any unpleasant side effects occurred as a result of the actual chiropractic adjustments.
Researchers found that no one documented any significant undesirable side effects whatsoever after getting one or two sessions of chiropractic. Some people did state that they experienced a headache (9 percent) or muscle stiffness (37%) post-treatment, but the results were not of a serious nature.
The next study(2), also published in the important medical journal, Spine, was performed in an effort to determine the safety of chiropractic care. 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 found no serious adverse side effects. The experts calculated the risk of total adverse reactions to be approximately six out of every 10,000 consultations or every 100,000 treatment sessions. And, just as with the first study, some participants 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."
The third research paper(3) is different from the previous two reports, as it concentrates on the safety of chiropractic care for children. In this article, the researchers analyzed data 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 children, chiropractors responding to the survey reported only three cases where there were negative side effects. When parents were surveyed, they indicated only two adverse side effects out of 1,735 visits. Additionally, 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 learn what chiropractic can do for you, call our Harrisburg clinic 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.
