There are many potential benefits of chiropractic care. It is a natural, holistic form of treatment that doesn’t involve prescription drugs with their potential for addiction or surgery with its long recovery period and need for rehabilitation. Chiropractic is not a quick fix, but it does not disrupt your life the way other treatments can. You can typically schedule an appointment when it is convenient for you and then go about your normal activities afterward.
However, there is a risk of side effects with chiropractic treatment. These are usually mild and of short duration. Some are more common than others.
What Are Common Side Effects of Chiropractic?
Approximately one-third of chiropractic patients may report mild side effects after a chiropractic adjustment. The most commonly reported side effect is pain or soreness in the area of treatment. This is usually reported as mild and typically occurs immediately after treatment. Other commonly reported side effects include headache and fatigue. Occasionally, symptoms such as these are strong enough that patients report feeling worse after treatment than before. However, most patients describe the symptoms as mild and report that they resolve completely by the day following treatment.
What Are Uncommon Side Effects of Chiropractic?
Of the patients who experience reactions following chiropractic treatment, less than 5% describe symptoms such as dizziness or nausea. Rarely, patients may experience moderate musculoskeletal side effects from chiropractic treatment, such as the strain of a muscle or sprain of a ligament. Effects such as these may require medical treatment and time to heal.
There have been occasional reports of patients suffering fatal strokes following chiropractic adjustment of the neck. Postmortem investigation reveals that the patients had underlying abnormalities of the blood vessels that contributed to the strokes they suffered when exacerbated by chiropractic adjustment. However, patients who are concerned can request that chiropractors not perform any manipulations of the neck.
Who Is Likely To Experience Side Effects of Chiropractic?
The longer you have experienced the problem for which you are seeking chiropractic treatment, the more likely you are to experience side effects. You are more likely to experience side effects at the beginning of your course of treatment, but these will likely taper off as the treatment progresses. Some chiropractors attribute this to a release of toxins that have built up in the body as a result of the abnormality. For reasons that are not entirely clear, women are more likely to experience chiropractic side effects than men.
For many people, the benefits of chiropractic treatment outweigh the risks of side effects. Schedule a consultation with a chiropractor, like a chiropractor in Baltimore, MD, today.
Thank you to the clinicians and experts at Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic for their insight into chiropractic care.