Is Chiropractic Care Safe?

Opposite of what you’ve been told about chiropractic care, it is in fact one of the safest, drug-free therapies that is available for back pain, neck pain, joint pain, headaches, and virtually any other complaint that deals with the skeletal system. It is noninvasive, and has an excellent record of safety. Even so, keep in mind that no health treatment is completely free of risks. The risks involved with chiropractic care are few. Most people feel great and pain-free after being to a chiropractor, while some may complain of minor aches and pains that may be expected. This pain, if it exists, will usually last no longer than 24 hours.

Chiropractic care is also a very effective treatment and can get patients back to work or other daily activities much faster than general treatment would. In fact, some studies have shown that chiropractic treatment was actually more effective than traditional medical treatment for treating lower back pain that patients have had chronically for one year or less. Another study showed the treatment of spine adjustment to provide better short term relief of spinal pain than most medications.

One popular chiropractic treatment is the neck adjustment which is used to treat neck pain and headaches. Also known as cervical manipulation, it can improve the mobility of the neck, increase motion range, reduce muscle spasms, and can help to relieve pain and tension. It is a very precise procedure that is accomplished by applying hands to the neck joints and manipulating them manually. After this treatment, patients usually claim to have less pain, soreness, and stiffness in their necks. Neck adjustments are very safe. The only known risk involved is a connection with a rare form of stroke. Doctors are still not certain of why this connection exists.

One such explanation of the connection between chiropractic care and strokes is the fact that the patients may be experiencing symptoms of a stroke and this is why they are seeing the chiropractor in the first place. Therefore, it would only make sense that they would have a stroke afterwards as chiropractic care is meant only to treat pain, not stroke. Other events have been shown to produce the same stroke result such as bending the neck to look at the sky, turning the head quickly, driving a care, and having a shampoo done in a salon. If you decide to go to a chiropractor, make sure you inform your doctor of the specific symptoms you are having so that he or she can better treat you.