How Safe is Chiropractic Care?

Today we are answering the question, “How safe is chiropractic care?” Chiropractic and the chiropractic adjustments have been around for over 100 years. Over that extended period of time, chiropractic adjustments have proven to be very safe, but one researcher wanted to find out exactly how safe they are. I have compiled multiple research papers to do my own research about the safety of chiropractic adjustments.

The first research review I read was called “The Safety of spinal manipulation in the treatment of lumbar disc herniations.” This research article looked at how safe chiropractic care was specifically for people with lumbar disc herniations and lumbar pain. Another study I read is on the risk factors and the complications of NSAIDs. NSAIDs are things like naproxen or ibuprofen, that we generally consider as safe. Finally, we have another study on recognizing the risk of chronic NSAID use in older adults. In this last research study, they estimate that NSAIDs like ibuprofen, send 41,000 people to the hospital every year. So when we compile all this research together, and we look at the adverse events of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen, compared to chiropractic care for something like lower back pain, we can actually come up with a number. And that number is, that chiropractic care is at least 37,000 times less likely to cause an adverse reaction compared to NSAIDs. So if you ask your chiropractor or your doctor, "Is chiropractic generally safe?" They're going to say yes. But, if you ask how safe, now you know, about 37,000 times safer than something generally considered safe, ibuprofen use for lower back pain. Hopefully this blog helped for any of you who are concerned about the safety of chiropractic care. And if you have more questions, please visit our frequently asked questions page on our website. WWW.KauffmanChiropractic.com/Blog