Chiropractic Adjustments are Safe

Chiropractic care is extremely safe and effective. Complications from the purportedly riskiest chiropractic procedure, neck adjustments, include rarities such as:

1972 – In several tens of million adjustments, one death occurred.

1978 – One in 10 million neck adjustments.

1981 – One in 1 million neck adjustments.

1983 – Two-three in 1 million adjustments.

1985 – One in 400,000 neck adjustments.

1993 – One in 3.8 million neck adjustments.

1995 – One in 2 million neck adjustments.

1996 – One in 900,000 neck adjustments.

A comprehensive review of the correlation between chiropractic care and stroke (Feb. 2008 Spine Journal) examined 10 years of hospital records that covered 100 million person-years. Clear evidence demonstrated that there was no increase in the risk for vertebral artery dissection with chiropractic care, compared with medical care. Stroke, vertebraobasilar dissection in particular, is a random complication of any type of neck movement. Cases of serious injury are virtually nonexistent. The number of deaths due to use of NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) range from 3,200 to greater than 16,500 deaths and 76,000 hospitalizations.

Chiropractors even pay considerably less in malpractice insurance than conventional medical practitioners. This is further evidence that chiropractic treatment is safe.

---

References

Maigne R. Orthopedic Medicine: A New Approach to Vertebral Manipulations. Springfield, Illinois, Charles C. Thomas. 1972; 155, 169.2 Cyriax J. Textbook of Orthopaedic Medicine. Vol 1. Diagnosis of soft tissue lesions (7th edition). London, Bailliere Tindall. 1978; 165.3 Hosek RS, Schram SB, Silverman H, Meyers JB. Cervical Manipulation. J Amer Med Assoc. 1981; 245:922.4 Gutmann G. Verletzungen der arteria vertebrailis durch manuelle therapie. Manuelle Medizin 1983; 21:2-14.

Dvorak J, Orelli F. How dangerous is manipulation of the cervical spine? Manuel Med 1985; 2:1-4.

Carey PF. A report on the occurrence of cerebrovasular accidents in chiropractic practice. J Canada Chiropractic Association 1993 (June);37 (2): 104-6.

Dabbs V Lauretti WJ. A risk assessment of cervical manipulation vs NSAIDS for the treatment of neck pain. J Manip Physio Ther 1995 (Oct); 18 (8): 530-6.

Klougart N, Leboeuf-Yde C, Rasmussen LR. Safety in Chiropractic Practice. J Manip Physiol Ther 1996 (Jul-Aug); 19 (6): 371-7.

Singh Gurkirpal, MD, “Recent Considerations in Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug Gastropathy”, The American Journal of Medicine, July 27, 1998, p. 31S Wolfe M. MD, Lichtenstein D. MD, and Singh Gurkirpal, MD, “Gastrointestinal Toxicity of Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs”, The New England Journal of Medicine, June 17, 1999, Vol. 340, No. 24, pp. 1888-1889.

Edward J. Frech and Mae F. Go, “Treatment and chemoprevention of NSAID-associated gastrointestinal complications”, Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management, 2009, pp. 65-73

Fries James F., “NSAID Gastropathy: The Second Most Deadly Rheumatic Disease? Epidemiology and Risk Appraisal”, Journal of Rheumatology, 1991, (Supplement 28), Vol. 18, pp. 6-10

Bolten W., Lang B., Wagner A., and Krobot K., “Consequences and Costs of NSAID-Induced Gastropathy in Germany”, Akt Rheumotol, 1999, Vol. 24, pp. 127-134