Are chiropractic neck adjustments safe?

Question

anyone get seriously hurt or killed because of them? if so, please cite source so I can research

Answer 1

Yes, they are safe. It is estimated that 1 in every 2 million adjustments has lead to a death by stroke. Compare that to the 6,600 people die YEARLY from taking NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). You are many, many times safer than following popular medicine. Why else is the US ranked 37th in health?

The medical community is so quick to bash on the few times a stroke occurs by chiropractic adjustment (a stroke which would have also occured in a hair salon when leaning back during a shampoo, or checking before changing lanes) when medical procedures have caused more deaths than chiropractors have caused (see links below). The medical community tries to mask its numerous deaths by pointing out and advertising the very few deaths caused by chiropractors.

As for calling chiropractors quacks, that's just a stereotype. That would be like calling medical doctors "killers" since they are one of the top leading causes of death. EVERY profession has a few bad seeds. Anti-chiropractic people complain about having to go to a chiropractor many times before they get better (like with orthodontists), yet they don't mind having to take medication with toxic and possibly irreversible side effects 3 times a day before meals until the SYMPTOMS subside (not the root cause of pain) or until the bacteria (even good ones in your body) are destroyed by antibiotics. Yes, chiropractors don't go to medical school where they learn how to drug you. They go to chiropractic college, to learn how to assist the body in healing itself, without drugs.

I encourage you to read the links below about facts on chiropractic, in addition to the responses on Yahoo Answers. The last link is particularly interesting, siting the illegal conspiracy of the AMA against the chiropractic profession, a conspiracy that has led to a prejudice and misunderstanding of the chiropractic profession even to this day.

From a happy chiropractic patient, who obviously hasn't been killed by cervical adjustments.

Answer 2

I'm sure there have been rare instances where someone was seriously hurt by chiropractic neck adjustments. They are pretty rare. I have to have neck adjustments once in a while, and to date have had no problems. If more people had their backs and necks adjusted once in a while, less people would suffer from chronic back problems in later years.
Personal experience tells me it's pretty safe. It's much better than the alternative. Pain and suffering.
A mis-aligned spine, and neck, if not treated, can cause your nerves to be pinched. Pills may relieve the pain temporarily, but will not solve the underlying problem. A medical doctor will most likely suggest, and prescribe this method of treatment, and/or traction.

Answer 3

I have been to different Chiropractors and I have had all types of adjustments including Neck Adjustments. What i learned is relax yourself before yougo for an adjustment. Some Chiropractors may put heat simulators on your back for a few minutes to relax you. The Best thing to do is relax yourself and just let the Chiropractor make the moves and just stay as relaxed as possible and let the chiropractor take control of the movements and you will find the adjustments will help you over time. some Chiropractors practice different style adjustments. Good Luck. Chiropractors can really help! A medical Dr. in the USA might not be so supportive of a Chiropractor because the US tends to be oriented toward Medical Drsa nd Medicines. Accupunture is good to relax. Good Luck whatever your goal is to feel better!!!! Gerard D. Lyons Rockaway Township, NJ

Answer 4

Chiropractic neck adjustments are very safe! A chiropractor goes to medical school just like a medical doctor, they are just more specialized on the spine and nervous system and on the body healing itself. The motion and force that a chiropractor use do nothing more the align the cervical spine and cause a positive movement in the neck releasing the pressure that it has on it that often causes headaches and allergy problems, which is actually more effective and safer then taking medications, tylenol and ibuprofin are very bad for your body. If you want more information then just let me know.

Answer 5

Chiropractors for the most part are quacks... They did a 20/20 report on them back in the early1980's and it showed that they fain education that does not exist. The Chiropractic colleges that put them out charge exorbitant tuition's and fees from 13 to 22 thousand dollars a year, but do not "fail" anyone. One class was asked what was your educational preparation, and the prestigious school said they must have at least a baccalaureate degree to enter into studies there. Further investigation indicated only a small number even had a college degree, and that one student admitted she only had graduated high school. Then they investigated the faculty and found that only four could come up with a real college diploma. What these people preach borders on malpractice in some instances, as so much of it has no scientific basis in fact. There is no body of knowledge in Chiropractic, nor is there viable peer reviewed research going on at anytime that would qualify this as a profession. Yet these people make $30-60,000 a year average and many really slick ones rival legitimate doctors. Some go so far as to claim to cure cancer with back adjustments. At best they provide an alternative to mainstream medicine, and some people swear by them... But at their worst they are a dangerous group of charlatens who do nothing truly useful, except that even in mainstream medicine there is a known quantity called the "placebo effect." That can be discribed as much as 30% of those in clinical medicine trials who receive the placebo "sugar" pill get relief from their symptoms as though it was real medicine... Good luck with your adjustments...

Answer 6

Chiropractic adjustments are safe! The risk of any serious injury is unlikely, in fact many chiropractors won't even see one in their office throughout their entire career. Although there are reports of stroke following a cervical adjustment, the likelihood of this happening is minimal. Recent studies show that there is no cause and effect relationship between the two. You are just as likely to suffer a stroke by tipping your head backwards like you do while getting your hair done at the hair salon, gazing at the stars, catching rain drops in your mouth, or painting the ceiling in your bedroom.

Chiropractors are highly trained professionals with hours of practice and training to look for signs that would lead them to believe an adjustment would cause harm to their patient. I am a student of chiropractic at the New York Chiropractic College and we spent an entire trimester alone discussing the risks, signs and symptoms, and "red flags" to look for while we are taking an in depth history. We practice cervical adjustments every day and I personally have witnessed hundreds of them without a single serious complication occurring. I perform them on my friends and family without any concern for such an injury. One thing I've come to understand and practice is I ask myself with every patient I see, "what would I do if this patient were either my mother or father?" We also learn tests to perform on our patients prior to adjusting if we come across a lower ranking concern such as head aches after an upper respiratory tract infection or head aches accompanied with vertigo/dizziness.

There are more cases of death reported following treatment from a medical doctor then there are for chiropractors. It has been noted by many that medical doctors typically do not take back pain patients seriously and do not know how to treat a patient complaining of back pain. They prescribe NSAIDs which with chronic use have been known to cause serious complications more than a chiropractic cervical manipulation. As with every profession, there are chiropractic doctors out there who do not perform the evaluations they are taught in their education prior to treating their patients. This is why it is important to research the doctors in your area before scheduling an appointment as it is with any other medical issue you happen to come across in your life.

Here are some links that provide a little more support: http://www.acatoday.org/content_css.cfm?CID=3134
http://www.acatoday.org/press_css.cfm?CID=2671
http://www.chiro.org/LINKS/stroke.shtml
This link shows the comparison of death rates related to stroke, very interesting! -- http://www.chiro.org/LINKS/CVA/Cerebrovascular_Accidents.shtml#Table_2

I hope this has helped answer your question and provided a little more promise in the chiropractic profession. Please let me know if you have any other questions about this topic or any regarding chiropractic.

Answer 7

Hello,

I am a student in a Doctorate of Chiropractic program at New York Chiropractic College. I am about to embark as a student intern beginning in September.

First of all, NO health treatment is completely free of potential adverse effects.

Chiropractic is widely known as one of the safest drug-free, non-invasive treatment available for neuromusculoskeletal complaints. The risks associated with chiropractic, however, are extremely minor. The current research shows that minor discomfort/soreness following spinal high velocity low amplitude typically fades within 24 hours.

Some reports have associated high-velocity upper neck manipulation with a certain rare kind of stroke/vertebral artery dissection. However, evidence suggests that this type of arterial injury often takes place spontaneously in patients who have pre-existing arterial disease.

The best evidence indicates that the incidence of artery injuries associated with high-velocity upper neck manipulation is extremely RARE—about one to three cases in 100,000 patients who get treated with a course of care. This is similar to the incidence of this type of stroke among the general population.

Doctors of chiropractic are well-trained professionals who provide patients with safe, effective care for many common conditions. Their broad education is similar to medical doctors. DC’s are fully prepared to identify patients who have specific risk factors and to get those patients the most appropriate care, even if that requires referral to a medical specialist.

Answer 8

There is probably a small chance that you could get hurt, just like there is a small chance you could get hurt walking around your house.

I have been getting treatment regularly on my cervical vertebrae (upper neck bones) for over 10 years now and all chiropractic adjustments have ever given me are RELIEF!

It is a more natural alternative to surgery and medication. It works!

Answer 9

Firstly, chiropracters do not attend medical schools.
The first patient I saw when went for training in Anesthesia was a 22 year old young lady being rolled into the Operating Room on a guerny after having her neck 'adjusted' by a Chiropracter. She was quadriplegic. Paralyzed from the neck down. Bones of the neck are not 'adjustable'.
UC Davis Sacramento, CA circa 1974.

Answer 10

cervical ablations