Chiropractic care is an amazing way to relieve tension, back pain, neck pain, headaches, and overall stress in the body. This practice is well-known and has been for over a century. The all-natural method is a wonderful way to improve the spine and lessen back and neck pain. As with any treatment, there are risks and benefits that need to be considered.
Chiropractic Effectiveness
There have been several studies to determine how effective chiropractic care is in patients. They compared the effectiveness of chiropractic manipulation in comparison to acupuncture, steroid treatments, and oral prescription medications. The control studies showed that chiropractic care was just as effective as the other methods of treatment; however, it is all-natural and does not contain medications that can cause side effects or cross-reactions with other medications. This data only used spinal manipulation and none of the other combination treatments that a chiropractor may have in their arsenal. This was to truly test the unique component of spinal manipulation in comparison to other methods of treatment. Imagine the increased effectiveness with modifiers that are commonly used and not present in this basic comparison.
Here are a couple of studies showing the effectiveness of chiropractic care
“Cervical spine manipulation was associated with significant improvement in headache outcomes in trials involving patients with neck pain and/or neck dysfunction and headache.” ~McCrory, Penzlen, Hasselblad, Gray (2001), Duke Evidence Report
“Chiropractic patients were found to be more satisfied with their back care providers after four weeks of treatment than were medical patients. Results from observational studies suggested that back pain patients are more satisfied with chiropractic care than with medical care. Additionally, studies conclude that patients are more satisfied with chiropractic care than they were with physical therapy after six weeks.” ~Hertzman-Miller et al (2002), American Journal of Public Health
“Acute and chronic chiropractic patients experienced better outcomes in pain, functional disability, and patient satisfaction; clinically important differences in pain and disability improvement were found for chronic patients.” ~Haas et al (2005), Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics
Chiropractic Risks
Chiropractors have the lowest malpractice insurance rates of any doctor; that should tell you something. It’s very important to understand, that even though there are some risks with getting treated by a chiropractor, that risk is very rare compared to medical procedures or medication, and the risk also lessens when working with a chiropractor with many years of experience.
Upper spinal manipulations are the more risky of the spinal manipulations having to do with the body. So, what are the exact risks for a spinal manipulation? This cannot be determined exactly, due to many conflicting studies and variables. However the relative risk is quite low in comparison to many other events. The risk of dying from a cerebrovascular event due to a spinal manipulation is somewhere around 0.3 in a million. In comparison, NSAIDS used to treat inflammation can cause a GI bleed and death in 400 in a million individuals. Therefore, the chiropractic treatment risk is minimal in comparison to the standard prescription drugs on the market today for pain relief. In addition, spinal surgery causes 1.8 deaths per thousand – not great odds (see here).
Click HERE for a great review of the safety of chiropractic care.
Chiropractic Benefits
What are the benefits of chiropractic treatment? Dr. David Spitz is available to personalize your treatment plan and provide a whole-body approach to wellness. Chiropractors can provide an alternative to surgery, so the back will not need to be cut into and require weeks of healing. Chiropractic care provides relief from inflammation, a boost to the immune system, enhanced pulmonary function, decreases mental and oxidative stress, and relief from muscle tension. It is an all-natural way to promote proper alignment of the spine, which can bring balance to all systems in the body. This is a great way of strengthening the body without the need for drugs or chemicals. Dr. Spitz can meet with you and create a plan that meets and addresses all of your needs as well as answer any questions about chiropractic care that you may have.
To make an appointment, please call his office at 860-583-4346 or request appointment below.
Dr David M. Spitz is the founder and clinic director of the Chiropractic Health Center of Bristol, located in Bristol, CT. Since 1982, he has treated thousands of patients for various conditions ranging from neck and back pain, to migraine headaches. He specializes in treating patients who have suffered whiplash injuries and/or back injuries in a motor vehicle accident.
Dr Spitz was a volunteer EMT-I and a lieutenant for several years at the Burlington Volunteer Fire Department. He has lectured throughout CT on various topics including, chiropractic, stress management, headaches and preventing back injury in the workplace.
