Is chiropractic spinal manipulation safe?
Treatments provided at this clinic, including spinal adjustment, manipulation, mobilisation and/or massage, have been the subject of much research conducted over many years and have been demonstrated to be appropriate and effective treatments for many common forms of spinal pain, pain in the shoulders/arms/legs, headaches and other similar symptoms. The risk of injury or complications from manual treatment is substantially lower than the risk associated with many medications or other treatments and procedures frequently given as alternative treatments for the same types of musculoskeletal pain and associated syndromes. It is 250 times safer than a course of anti-inflammatory drugs.
While rare, some patients have experienced muscle and ligament sprains, strains, bruises or rib fractures following spinal manual therapy. In most cases these symptoms clear in 24 – 48 hours. There have been reported cases of disc injuries following spinal manual therapy although no scientific study has ever demonstrated that such injuries are caused, or may be caused by manual techniques and such cases are also very rare.
There have been reported cases of injury to a vertebral artery following neck manual therapy. Such vertebral artery injuries may on rare occasion cause stroke, which may result in serious neurological injury and/or physical impairment. This form of complication is an extremely rare event, occurring in around 1 time per 6 million treatments. More recent research has proved that spinal manipulation of the neck uses 1/9 of the force that would be required to cause damage to the arteries of the neck. Further research has shown that, in these rare cases, the individuals who suffered stroke were most likely in the prodromal phase of a stroke when they consulted a chiropractor and they would have most likely developed a stroke even if no treatment was provided. The biggest stroke risk factors are obesity, diabetes, smoking, cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.
Is acupuncture safe?
Acupuncture is generally very safe. Serious side effects are very rare – less than one per 10,000 treatments.Fainting can occur in certain patients, particularly at the first treatment, and may be due to low blood sugar levels. Drowsiness can occur after treatment in a small number of patients and if affected you are advised not to drive. Acupuncture can cause temporary local swelling, bruising or minor bleeding, in about 3% of treatments. A transitory increase in the levels or distribution of pain or other symptoms happens in less than 3% of patients. You should tell your therapist about this if it happens but it is usually a good sign. In very rare cases acupuncture has been reported as being associated with bodily infections or collapse of a lung. This office uses safe needling techniques and single-use, sterile, disposable needles.
