Is Chiropractic Care Safe?
Yes!
The biggest recommendation we have to anyone seeking chiropractic care is to ensure the chiropractor you are seeing is a licensed Doctor of Chiropractic. According to the American Chiropractic Association, “The chiropractic physician typically uses his or her hands–or an instrument–to manipulate the joints of the body, particularly the spine, in order to restore or enhance joint function.” Another great, and safe, reason to pursue chiropractic care is because it is a completely holistic approach to medicine that is proven to be more effective than the use of medication.
Chiropractic care, especially combined with therapy and exercise, is meant to restore the body’s overall function while reducing pain and preventing injuries from occurring in the future.
Chiropractic care is recognized by the AMA, the Mayo Clinic, and other traditional medical institutions as a safe and effective complement in the management of neck and lower back pain when it is performed by a trained and licensed doctor of chiropractic (D.C.).
So How Do You Know If Chiropractic Is Safe for You?
The only way to know the correct treatment for your back pain is to first know the cause. Back pain is typically caused by anatomical or mechanical factors. Orthopedic, neurological and biomechanical spine exams can help the doctor differentiate the cause of your pain. Proper imaging may also reveal the most appropriate course of action.
Is Chiropractic Care Safe and Effective Compared to the Alternatives?
Yes!
When assessing the risks of any treatment it is necessary to weigh your options. The evidence speaks for itself:
In a 1998 study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, chiropractic was to be 57% more effective in the reduction of headaches than drug therapy.
With cervical herniated discs with radiculopathy, 85.7% of chiropractic patients experiencing acute pain reported significant improvement within three months with no patients experiencing worse pain.
In 2010 a study of back pain patients insured by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee revealed patients receive nearly 300% better results at almost half the cost when consulting a chiropractor instead of a traditional medical doctor.
Chiropractic outperformed muscle relaxants in clinical outcomes by 427%.
60% of lumbar disc surgical candidates avoided surgery with chiropractic.
Chiropractic reduced opioid use by 55% in low back pain.
81% of the (post-surgical chiropractic) patients showed greater than 50% reduction in pain levels at the end of the last treatment. At the 24-month follow-up, 78.6% had continued pain relief of greater than 50%.
The likelihood of recurrent disability due to lower back pain for recipients of services during the health maintenance care period by all other provider groups was consistently worse when compared with recipients of health maintenance care by chiropractors.