How Safe is Chiropractic Care?
Chiropractic is widely recognized as one
of the safest drug-free, non-invasive therapies available for the
treatment of back pain, neck pain, joint pain of the arms or legs,
headaches, and other neuromusculoskeletal complaints. Although
chiropractic has an excellent safety record, no health treatment is
completely free of potential adverse effects.
The risks associated with chiropractic,
however, are very small. Many patients feel immediate relief following
chiropractic treatment, but some may sometimes experience mild soreness
or aching, just as they do after some forms of exercise. Current
literature shows that minor discomfort or soreness following spinal
manipulation typically fades within 24 hours.1
In addition to being a safe form of
treatment, spinal manipulation is incredibly effective, getting patients
back on their feet faster than traditional medical care. A March 2004
study in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics
found that chiropractic care is more effective than medical care at
treating chronic low-back pain in those patients who have been
experiencing the symptoms for one year or less. In addition, a study
published in the July 15, 2003, edition of the journal Spine found that
manual manipulation provides better short-term relief of chronic spinal
pain than a variety of medications.
Neck Adjustments
Neck pain and some types of headaches are sometimes treated through neck adjustment. Neck adjustment, often called cervical manipulation, works to improve joint mobility in the neck, restoring range of motion and reducing muscle spasm, which helps relieve pressure and tension. Neck adjustment is a precise procedure that is generally applied by hand to the joints of the neck. Patients typically notice a reduction in pain, soreness, stiffness, and an improved ability to move the neck.
Neck manipulation is a remarkably safe
procedure. Although some reports have associated upper high velocity
neck manipulation with a certain kind of stroke, or vertebral artery
dissection, there is not yet a clear understanding of the connection.
While we don’t know the actual incidence of stroke associated with
high-velocity upper neck manipulation, the occurrence appears to be
rare—1 in 5.85 million manipulations2— based on the clinical reports and scientific studies to date.
To put this risk into perspective, if you
drive more than a mile to get to your chiropractic appointment, you are
at greater risk of serious injury from a car accident than from your
chiropractic visit.
It has also been suggested that sudden,
severe upper neck pain and/or headache, which may indicate a pre-stroke
condition, could cause someone to visit a doctor of chiropractic. In
addition, some common activities, such as stargazing, rapidly turning
the head while driving, and having a shampoo in a hair salon may cause
an aneurysm—a widening of an artery resulting from the weakening of the
artery walls—of the neck arteries, resulting in stroke. Such events
remain very difficult to predict.
It is important for patients to
understand the risks associated with some of the most common treatments
for neck and back pain—prescription non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
drugs (NSAIDS)—as these options may carry risks significantly greater
than those of manipulation. Per a study from the American Journal of
Gastroenterology, approximately one-third of all hospitalizations and
deaths related to gastrointestinal bleeding can be attributed to the use
of aspirin or NSAID painkillers like ibuprofen.3
Furthermore, surgery for conditions for
which manipulation may also be used carries risks many times greater
than those of chiropractic treatment. Even prolonged bed rest carries
some risks, including muscle atrophy, cardiopulmonary deconditioning,
bone mineral loss and thromoembolism.4
If you are visiting your doctor of
chiropractic with upper-neck pain or headache, be very specific about
your symptoms. This will help your doctor of chiropractic offer the
safest and most effective treatment, even if it involves referral to
another health care provider. If the issue of stroke concerns you, do
not hesitate to discuss it with your doctor of chiropractic. Depending
on your clinical condition, he or she can forego manipulation, and
instead can recommend joint mobilization, therapeutic exercise,
soft-tissue techniques, or other therapies.
Research Ongoing
The ACA believes that patients have the
right to know about the health risks associated with any type of
treatment, including chiropractic. Today, chiropractic researchers are
involved in studying the benefits and risks of spinal adjustment in the
treatment of neck and back pain through clinical trials, literature
reviews and publishing papers reviewing the risks and complications of
neck adjustment.
All available evidence demonstrates that
chiropractic treatment holds an extremely small risk. The chiropractic
profession takes this issue very seriously and engages in training and
postgraduate education courses to recognize the risk factors in
patients, and to continue rendering treatment in the most effective and
responsible manner.
Dr. Dave Edenfield, "Your Jacksonville Chiropractor", and Lakewood
Chiropractic offers the most advanced treatments for back pain,
sciatica, neck pain, whiplash and headaches. They also treat auto
accident victims with state-of-the-art technologies. Now accepting VA
patients. For more information visit:Lakewood Chiropractic
Jacksonville, Florida 32217
904-733-7020
http://www.lakewoodchiropracticjax.com/
https://www.facebook.com/lakewoodchiropractic
https://twitter.com/AskDrEdenfield
References
- Senstad O, et al. Frequency and characteristics of sideeffects of spinal manipulative therapy. Spine 1997 Feb 15;435440.
- Haldeman S, et al. Arterial dissection following cervicalmanipulation: a chiropractic experience. Can Med Assoc J 2001;165(7):905-06.
- Lanas A, et al. A nationwide study of mortality associated withhospital admission due to severe gastrointestinal events and those associated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use.
Am J Gastroenterol 2005;100:1685–1693.
- Lauretti W. The Comparative Safety of Chiropractic. In DanielRedwood, ed., Contemporary Chiropractic. New York: Churchill Livingstone, 1997, p. 230-8.
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