Safety with Chiropractic Care and Treatment
If you’re looking to manage back or neck pain, or you’ve just been in an accident, and are beginning to feel discomfort in your neck or back, chiropractic care is an effective option to bring you the relief you’re looking for. The purpose of chiropractic care and all medical treatment is to bring relief to suffering as outlined in the chiropractic oath. Chiropractic care is dedicated to caring for the patient’s total health and well-being, and much of our work is dedicated to avoiding harm like unnecessary surgery. But just like other areas of medicine, there are cases where procedures are unsuccessful and in extreme cases, the patient is lost. When that happens there can be bad publicity and questions about the safety of chiropractic care. At Total Chiropractic Care and Wellness, we want you to know the facts about chiropractic safety so you can understand fully how much our care can help you with pain management.
The Safety Record of Chiropractic Care
The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) writes extensively about chiropractic safety on their website. They write that chiropractic care “is widely recognized as one of the safest drug-free, non-invasive therapies available for the treatment of neuromusculoskeletal complaints.”
While Chiropractic care has “an excellent safety record” according to ACA, “no health treatment is completely free of potential adverse effects.”
The Mayo Clinic points out that chiropractic adjustment is safe when performed by someone who is trained and licensed. While complications associated with chiropractic treatment can be rare, they include herniated disks and compression of the nerves in the lower spinal column, a condition known as cauda equina syndrome.
Chiropractic Care and Stroke Symptoms
Complications that have occurred after neck manipulation treatment include a condition known as vertebral artery dissection, which is a type of stroke. This condition has given rise to questions about chiropractic safety after a model died in 2016 hours after undergoing a neck manipulation for a neck injury after a fall.
While the ACA will not comment directly about circumstances related to the patient’s care without complete information about her treatment, their page about Cervical Arterial Dissection indicates that the ACA is sensitive to public concerns about the complex issue while also pointing out that there is a lack of evidence to prove that cervical adjustments can cause the very rare Cervical Arterial Dissection.
Furthermore, the ACA encourages doctors of chiropractic to discuss the benefits and risks of any treatment plan with their patients. The ACA site also includes a policy on informed consent for shared decision making with patients.
According to ACA, “The best available evidence today indicates there is no causal relationship between neck manipulation and stroke.” However, chiropractic patients are strongly urged to be very specific about any symptoms they may have and any history of injury. The Mayo Clinic suggests avoiding chiropractic treatment if you have increased the risk of stroke, severe osteoporosis, spinal cancer, excessive motion or instability of the spine, or numbness, tingling or loss of strength in an arm or leg.
Total Chiropractic Care and Wellness Will Help Ease Pain and Harm
It’s important to realize that chiropractic care almost always proceeds without incident. It’s critical that you communicate with your doctor at all times what you’re feeling and what your medical history is. Chiropractic care is first and foremost about wellness and we’re dedicated to the reduction of pain and harm every day at Total Chiropractic Care and Wellness. We can help you lead a healthier life. Give us a call at (631) 447-2299 and make an appointment today.
Please note that the author of this piece is not a doctor and the information of this material is not intended as medical advice. Please consult your doctor or medical professional for specific information regarding your individual situation.
Leave a Reply