We often get questions about what to expect from chiropractic from people wanting to know about the risks and benefits of care. The following inquiry recently arrived in my e-mail inbox. “I am a 31-year-old male…and I want to have a chiropractic adjustment. What are the side effects of a chiropractic adjustment?” Another person asked, “Can you get paralyzed from a chiropractor?” Knowing that what we do is safe and effective, my first reaction was to wonder, where do such questions come from? But with further consideration, these people are right to worry about side effects. It’s no secret that today’s health care practices are a leading cause of unintended illnesses and injuries. Calling those unplanned outcomes side effects almost sounds like they are unimportant. In reality they demonstrate the unpredictability of what happens in a live person’s body. If you put a drug into someone’s body and they feel better, they’re happy. If the drug hurts them, it’s called a side effect.
It’s amazing to watch the advertising techniques used on television to sell drugs. The aim is to treat symptoms, but often people are made worse by the drugs, giving them new diseases, or even killing them. The TV commercial doesn’t directly say, this might make you much worse, or kill you. Instead it will calmly list many known side effects, and matter-of-factly state that, deaths have happened.”
We live in a time when the consumer must be their own advocate. That’s why I’m actually pleased to hear this man’s concerns about the possibility of side effects. It is important to know that in health care there is always the possibility that things won’t go as planned. Amongst providers of health care, chiropractors continue to have one of the best records on safety.[1] Numerous studies have clearly demonstrated that chiropractic adjustments have been found to be safe and effective.[2]
The man who e-mailed about side effects needs to know that a precise chiropractic adjustment is a comfortable experience. Children often giggle as they proudly receive their adjustment, so it’s not something scary or to be dreaded. Most people really look forward to their chiropractic visit. They know that it’s done to improve the function of the whole body, not just get rid of what hurts in one particular place. That being said, some people have never been to a chiropractor for normal, life-enhancing care. They arrive on their first visit in pain, and just looking at them is an ordeal. The usual comforting experience is more difficult in those cases, but their distress isn’t a side effect, it’s just what they brought with them. Even in those situations, most people report that they soon feel better after receiving chiropractic care.
In response to the lady who asked about whether a chiropractor would paralyze her, I answered that nothing done in health care comes without any risk, but I tried to put it in perspective. If a doctor of chiropractic attempted to adjust you while he or she was intoxicated, and didn’t do any of the things we do every day to assure safe, effective care, then the possibility of injury would be very real. Chiropractors are trained to be professionals, whose concern for the health and well-being of their practice members is of paramount importance.
Like any health care provider, a chiropractor might make a mistake. Thankfully they are rare, and injuries very unlikely. A much greater concern is the damage done to a person not receiving necessary adjustments. One thing is for certain, we all need a good nerve supply to function well and to get the most out of life. Caring, skillful chiropractors safely help people to express more of their potential and function at their best.
To read more on this subject: https://www.youneedchiro.com/blog/crazy-talk/
[1] https://www.youneedchiro.com/blog/chiropractic-safe-for-kids/
[2] Mayo Clinic, Patient Care and Health Information, https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/chiropractic-adjustment/about/pac-20393513