Is chiropractic care safe?

Questioning the safety of chiropractic care? Here’s how to find the answer.
Apr. 25, 2009 | By: The Health Local Staff

If you’ve never been to a chiropractor before, it’s only natural to wonder if chiropractic manipulation is really safe. The good news? According to the Canadian Chiropractic Association, complications arising from chiropractic care are few and far between.

The truth is that chiropractic adjustment or manipulation is actually a drug-free, non-invasive approach to common musculoskeletal conditions such as headache, and neck and back pain. Because it doesn’t rely on drugs or invasive procedures, it’s actually considered a low-risk therapy. While there are rare cases of complications arising from chiropractic adjustment, those are the exception, not the rule.

The CCA also says chiropractic is a healing discipline firmly grounded in science. In fact, few other health care interventions have been assessed as extensively as chiropractic manipulation, both in terms of safety and effectiveness.

There have been at least six formal government studies into chiropractic worldwide over the last 25 years and the CCA says all those studies have concluded that contemporary chiropractic care is safe, effective, cost-effective and have recommended public funding for chiropractic services.

If that’s not enough, there have also been countless scientific clinical studies assessing the appropriateness, effectiveness, and/or cost-effectiveness of spinal manipulation or chiropractic manipulation, most notably for low back pain. The Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHI) now offers research grants in partnership with the Canadian Chiropractic Association to chiropractors and other scientists for high quality, chiropractic research.

And, as always, it’s important to remember the treatment you receive is related to the specific condition diagnosed by your chiropractor, and will vary from person to person depending on each person’s unique situation. Work with your chiropractor to find the treatment that’s right for your condition – and your own comfort level.