Chiropractic is a form of health care that treats primarily mechanical problems and dysfunction in the spine and surrounding soft tissues. The aim of chiropractors is to ensure appropriate and complete motion and function through the use of spinal manipulation or adjustments. A tremendous amount of scientific research has been conducted on the safety and effectiveness of chiropractic care and has overwhelmingly shown that patient satisfaction is high, treatment is effective, and complications are rare. According to the American Chiropractic Association, as much as 80 percent of the population will experience back pain at some point in their lives, and chiropractors provide a valuable and effective option for treating back pain. While complications are rare, chiropractic care does have potential side effects, like all health care procedures.
Aggravation of the Condition
The most common side effect of chiropractic manipulation is the aggravation of the pain or condition that the patient is seeking treatment for. Spinal manipulation is delivered by the hands of the treating doctor and is a gentle impulse into spinal joints, designed to increase mobility and breakup adhesions that are preventing motion. When joint surfaces or surrounding soft tissues are inflamed this manipulation can cause an increase in pain. This can be particularly true when the condition being treated is a herniated disc.
Disc Herniation
The inter-vertebral disc is a soft spongy shock absorber found between each of the vertebrae in the spine. When the center portion of this disc pushes out of its normal confines, it causes a bulge or disc herniation. This is a common condition that causes pain and is seen frequently in most chiropractic offices. Spinal manipulation can be effective at taking the additional stress off of the disc and restoring proper biomechanical motion. Occasionally, however, manipulation can push the disc further out of its confines and cause an aggravation of symptoms.
Fractures
Another potential side effect of spinal manipulation is the possibility that the chiropractor may actually cause a fracture in a rib or vertebra. This most commonly happens in patients who are elderly or who have an underlying condition that makes their bones susceptible to fracture, such as osteoporosis.
Stroke
The most widely publicized---and also the least likely to occur---of all potential side effects is a stroke that may happen after cervical manipulation. It has been thought that the impulse into the cervical joint or rotation of the cervical spine during a manipulation can cause damage to the arteries of the neck leading to stroke. A great deal of research has been conducted on chiropractic care and stroke and a recent study published in the journal, "Spine" by the Neck Pain Task Force, finds that the incidence of stroke following a visit to the chiropractor is the same as with a visit to a medical physician. This is likely due to the fact that some of the symptoms of stroke are headache and neck pain, which are typical symptoms for chiropractic patients, and some who visit a chiropractor are already experiencing the beginning of a stroke.
