I will begin today with safety in Chiropractic. People occasionally say they are fearful when they consider having their neck adjusted. So, let’s address it.
According to data from NCMIC, less than 1 in 2 million chiropractic neck adjustments may produce a serious adverse effect. (1) Tylenol overdose accounts for nearly half of acute liver failures in the U.S. (2) and if you drive about 8 miles each way to get to your chiropractic appointment, you have a statistically greater risk of a car accident than of having a serious complication from your treatment.” (1)
I always take time to explain what we are doing and why prior to an adjustment. This is how I do it.
First, we have active range of motion which is how far you can turn your head to one side like looking over your shoulder. Then we reach passive range of motion which means you can push it farther with your hand. Last is what we call End-play. This is the springy end feel to the movement. If there isn’t a springy end-feel, it feels stuck and many times painful. As we explained in last month’s article, this is where the nerve can get pinched and shoot pain up over or around the head resulting in a headache. As your Chiropractor, I only go to the elastic barrier and gently bounce to set the restriction free. This is to restore movement and reduce the pain. Between these two stages of movement is where the cracking sound is typically heard. (3, 4) You may feel sore afterward, but many patients report feeling immediate relief from their pain.
Keep in mind that all the safety studies are done with trained Chiropractic Doctors. So, if you have noticed restriction or pain when turning your head, call us today for relief.
Yours in health,
Dr Wendy Iszler
- Lauretti, W. What are the Risk of Chiropractic Neck Treatments? Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. Oct 1995. Available at https://chiro.org/chimages/chiropage/cva-1.html.
- Lee W. M. (2004). Acetaminophen and the U.S. Acute Liver Failure Study Group: lowering the risks of hepatic failure. Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.), 40(1), 6–9. Available at https://doi.org/10.1002/hep.20293.
- Meridel I. Gatterman, “Complications of and Contraindications to Spinal Manipulative Therapy,” chap. 4 in Chiropractic Management of Spine Related Disorders, ed. Meridel I. Gatterman (Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins, 1990), 49, fig. 3.1. Available at https://sdlegislature.gov/api/Rules/Rule/20:41:01:02.html.
- Musculoskeletal Key. Aug 2016. Available at https://musculoskeletalkey.com/10-palpation-the-art-of-manual-assessment/.
