Much has been said and written in the media about the safety of chiropractic adjustments. Let’s examine this controversial question. According to scientific research, let’s compare chiropractic with a few common medical facts along with everyday accident rates, and put their risks into perspective. (Sources of the information are also provided).

Risk of serious injury or death from playing soccer or football = 1 in 25,500

Risk of serious injury or death from driving in an automobile = 1 in 5,900

Approximate risk of being hit by lightning = 1 in 1,000,000

Risk of serious injury or death from canoeing = 1 in 100,000

Risk of death from smoking 20 cigarettes/day = 1 in 200

(Dinman BD. The reality and acceptance of risk. Journal of the American Medical Association 1980; 244(11): 1226-1228)

Overall death rate for spinal surgery = 700 in 1,000,000

(Survey data of the cervical spine. Research Society, 1982)
(Deyo RA, Cherkin DC, Leosser JD, Bigos SJ, Ciol MA. Morbidity and mortality in association with operations on the lumbar spine: The influence of age, diagnosis, and procedure. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery Am 1992; 74(4): 536-543.)

Deaths per year from Gastro-intestinal bleeding due to Anti-inflammatory use (Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Vioxx, Celebrex, Naproxen, Voltaren) = 400 in 1,000,000

(Dabbs V, Lauretti W. A risk assessment of cervical manipulation vs NSAIDs for the treatment of neck pain. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 1995; 18 (8): 530-536.)

Some interesting facts from other research in the United States:

12,000 deaths/year from unnecessary surgery

7,000 deaths from medication errors in hospitals

20,000 deaths/year from other errors in hospitals

80,000 deaths/year from nosocomial infections (infections generated in hospital)

106,000 deaths/year from NON-errors, simply from adverse effects of medications.

Total = 225,000 deaths/year from medical-induced (iatrogenic) causes. According to the Institute of Medicine, that number may be as high as 230,000-280,000. Disability and discomfort NOT included.

Sources:
Leape, L. Unnecessary surgery. Annual Review of Public Health 1992; 13:363-383.

Phillips D, Christenfeld N, Glynn L. Increase in US medication-error deaths between 1983 and 1993. Lancet 351: 643-644.

Lazarou J, Pomeranz B, Corey P. Incidence of adverse drug reactions in hospitalized patients. Journal of the American Medical Association 1998; 279: 1200-1205.

Schuster M, McGlynn E. Brook R. How good is the quality of health care in the United States? Milbank Quarterly 1998; 76: 517-563.

Lets compare these interesting facts to that of the risk for Chiropractic procedures:

Developing “Cauda Equina Sydrome” (serious neurological condition whereby loss of bowel and bladder control results) from lumbar adjustment = 1 in 100,000,000

(Shekelle PG, Adams AH, Chassin MR, Hurwitz EL, Brook RH. Spinal manipulation for low-back pain. Annals of Internal Medicine 1992; 117(9): 590-598.)

Risk of serious neurological complication from neck adjustment = 0.6 in 1,000,000

Risk of death from neurological complications in neck adjustments= 0.3 in 1,000,000

(Hurwitz EL, Aker PD, Adams AH, Meeker WC, Shekelle PG. Manipulation and mobilization of the cervical spine: A systematic review of the literature. Spine 21(15): 1746-1760.)

As we can see from the literature, chiropractic adjustments are remarkably safe. In the past 110 plus years of modern-day chiropractic, the profession has boasted a tremendous safety record. This is even reflected in the extremely low liability/ malpractice insurance rates for chiropractors when compared to their medical colleagues. As you can see, with ANY procedure, there are risks involved. There are definite contra-indications to manual adjusting. It is the duty of the Doctor of Chiropractic to conduct a complete case history and perform a thorough physical examination with x-rays if necessary to look for any contra-indications in the patient, and modify his/her technique to accommodate the specific condition.

There are many chiropractic patients who have previously had serious injuries, who are pregnant, who have had spinal or open-heart surgeries, osteoporosis, and serious medical conditions like AIDS or cancer. Anyone will benefit from having a healthy functioning nerve system. It’s just a matter of finding the right adjusting technique to fit the body type, age, condition, and comfort level. So, you can rest assured, Chiropractic is safe, and it is for everyone!