Chiropractic Care is Safe
Animation on the safety of Chiropractic care with sources.
This 2007 study by Thiel, et al. set out to estimate the risk of serious and relatively minor adverse events following chiropractic manipulation of the cervical spine. Findings from 19,722 chiropractic patients revealed that, while minor side effects like fatigue or soreness following cervical spine manipulation occurred, there were no reports of serious adverse events.
This 2009 study by Cassidy, et al. drew on 9 years of hospitalization records analyzing 818 cases of vertebrobasilar artery (VBA) stroke (involving the arteries that supply blood to the back of the brain). The study found an association between visits to a health care practitioner and subsequent VBA stroke, but there was no evidence that visiting a chiropractor put people at greater risk than visiting any other primary care physician. The researchers attributed the association between health care visits and VBA stroke to the likelihood that people with VBA dissection (torn arteries) seek care for related headache and neck pain as the stroke is causing symptoms.
This 2012 study by Herzog, et al. provides evidence that cervical spinal manipulative technique performed by trained clinicians does not appear to place undue strain on the vertebro-basilar artery, and thus does not seem to be a factor in vertebro-basilar injuries.
This 2010 study by Austin, et al. provides evidence that arterial tissue exposed to repeated tensile strains can withstand these forces without microstructure arterial damage.
This 2015 study by Herzog, et al. provides evidence that chiropractic manipulation of the neck does not cause strains to the internal carotid artery in excess of those experienced during normal everyday movements. Therefore, cervical spinal manipulative therapy as performed by a trained clinician does not appear to place undue strain on, or be a factor in, internal carotid artery injuries.
Fact Sheet on VBA stroke
Manipulation, based on basic science, is a relatively safe procedure when compared to other approaches to neck pain and headache. The forces of manipulation are likely similar to those of daily movement, as in quickly checking your blind spot while driving. Adjustments similar to repetitive movement, with repeated use in the same patient and with reasonable, standardized application, does not cause damage. Patients are just as likely to have visited a medical physician as received chiropractic care prior to a vertebro-basilar artery (VBA) stroke. The association between VBA stroke and both chiropractor and medical doctor visits is most likely explained by patients with neck pain and headache (VBA dissection symptoms) seeking relief from health care providers before their VBA stroke. Health care professionals are aware of, and able to identify, the signs and symptoms of a stroke in progress. The results of several studies by Herzog, et al. are presented above as further components of a defense for the safety of cervical manipulation.