Can Chiropractic Care Hurt You?
You may have heard the scary stories about how a Chiropractor can injure you.
It’s easy to understand why.
If you have ever seen a Chiropractic Adjustment, it can look intense. There is a fast movement, and many times a patient will exhale during the adjustment, which can make for a scene that looks a little sketchy.
Let’s examine some of the evidence and see what we can learn.
CAN A CHIROPRACTOR HURT YOU?
The short answer is, of course. An incredible accident could happen. Anything is possible.
The longer answer is, does it happen, and if so, how frequently? Those answers are much-debated.
We often reference the National Institutes of Health for research, due to it being the largest, most credible government-funded medical research institution in America.
This study quoted the following:
“We found no significant association between exposure to chiropractic care and the risk of VBA stroke. We conclude that manipulation is an unlikely cause of VBA stroke.”
And yet, approximately 20 million people per year visit the Chiropractor. Twenty MILLION people a year. That’s at least 20 million adjustments a year happening in America. To expect that not a single, solitary person has a negative experience is just not very realistic. When it comes to injury, it’s a case of statistics. If you gave 20 million candy bars to people, at least ONE person is going to chip their tooth or have some sort of negative experience. It’s just a fact.
But getting accurate stats seems to be challenging. The robust studies that are done (such as the study from NIH) find no issues, and yet we hear the stories of people who somehow were very injured on a Chiropractic table. What gives?
While it’s difficult to quantify, the number doesn’t seem to be very big. Otherwise, it would be easier to quantify. An example of this is Iatrogenic death.
IATROGENIC DEATH
According to a recent report from Johns Hopkins University, death from medical error is the third leading cause of death in the United Stats.
So we have:
There are roughly 36,510,207 hospital admissions per year.
That calcs out to a 0.78% death rate from hospital admission. Based on those stats, for every 1,000 people who walk into a hospital, 8 never walk out, due to medical error.
If the same percentage (0.78%) were to be applied to Chiropractic adjustments, then there would be 156,000 people dying on a Chiropractic table every year.
If that was happening, I think we’d be hearing about it. It’s a huge number!
There is no “risk free” treatment. Whether you are in the hospital, on a Chiropractic table, or riding around in your car, the truth is there is no “risk free” option in life. The goal is to find the safest, most effective way to address a condition or a problem.
We have found that a natural, non-invasive solution is generally safer than an invasive, more aggressive approach.
And of the hundreds of thousands of adjustments that have occurred in our clinics, we have not had anyone die on the table.
It’s easy to understand why.
If you have ever seen a Chiropractic Adjustment, it can look intense. There is a fast movement, and many times a patient will exhale during the adjustment, which can make for a scene that looks a little sketchy.
Let’s examine some of the evidence and see what we can learn.
CAN A CHIROPRACTOR HURT YOU?
The short answer is, of course. An incredible accident could happen. Anything is possible.
The longer answer is, does it happen, and if so, how frequently? Those answers are much-debated.
We often reference the National Institutes of Health for research, due to it being the largest, most credible government-funded medical research institution in America.
This study quoted the following:
“We found no significant association between exposure to chiropractic care and the risk of VBA stroke. We conclude that manipulation is an unlikely cause of VBA stroke.”
And yet, approximately 20 million people per year visit the Chiropractor. Twenty MILLION people a year. That’s at least 20 million adjustments a year happening in America. To expect that not a single, solitary person has a negative experience is just not very realistic. When it comes to injury, it’s a case of statistics. If you gave 20 million candy bars to people, at least ONE person is going to chip their tooth or have some sort of negative experience. It’s just a fact.
But getting accurate stats seems to be challenging. The robust studies that are done (such as the study from NIH) find no issues, and yet we hear the stories of people who somehow were very injured on a Chiropractic table. What gives?
While it’s difficult to quantify, the number doesn’t seem to be very big. Otherwise, it would be easier to quantify. An example of this is Iatrogenic death.
IATROGENIC DEATH
According to a recent report from Johns Hopkins University, death from medical error is the third leading cause of death in the United Stats.
So we have:
- 611,105 died in 2013 due to heart disease.
- 584,881 died due to cancer.
- 251,454 died due to medical error in hospital.
There are roughly 36,510,207 hospital admissions per year.
That calcs out to a 0.78% death rate from hospital admission. Based on those stats, for every 1,000 people who walk into a hospital, 8 never walk out, due to medical error.
If the same percentage (0.78%) were to be applied to Chiropractic adjustments, then there would be 156,000 people dying on a Chiropractic table every year.
If that was happening, I think we’d be hearing about it. It’s a huge number!
There is no “risk free” treatment. Whether you are in the hospital, on a Chiropractic table, or riding around in your car, the truth is there is no “risk free” option in life. The goal is to find the safest, most effective way to address a condition or a problem.
We have found that a natural, non-invasive solution is generally safer than an invasive, more aggressive approach.
And of the hundreds of thousands of adjustments that have occurred in our clinics, we have not had anyone die on the table.
TAKEAWAY: Statistically speaking, the likelihood of being hurt by Chiropractic is very low, especially when compared with "more traditional" approaches.
Our offer to you: If you'd like to come in, see one of our doctors to discuss how Chiropractic Care or Functional Medicine might support your body, then you can do so by claiming our $19 new patient special. Simply select the location you want to visit, give us a call, and we'll look forward to meeting you!
Our offer to you: If you'd like to come in, see one of our doctors to discuss how Chiropractic Care or Functional Medicine might support your body, then you can do so by claiming our $19 new patient special. Simply select the location you want to visit, give us a call, and we'll look forward to meeting you!