Myth 1: Chiropractic Is Dangerous

This is the most common concern people raise, and it’s understandable.

Many people first encounter Chiropractic through sensational headlines, short social media clips, or second-hand stories that lack context.


These rarely show the assessment, screening, and clinical decision-making that should always occur before care begins.


The reality is very different.

At Adjusting to Health, Chiropractic is Safe, No Doubt About It


Large, population-based studies examining millions of patients have consistently shown that Chiropractic care, when delivered by a registered Chiropractor, carries an extremely low risk of serious adverse events and is no more dangerous than visiting a GP for the same neck or back symptoms (Cassidy et al., 2008).


Importantly, research shows that the rare vascular events sometimes discussed in the media are not caused by Chiropractic adjustments, but are more likely related to the underlying condition that prompted the patient to seek care in the first place

(Church et al., 2016).

At Adjusting to Health, safety is not assumed - it is engineered.


Before any care begins, we:

  • Conduct a thorough health history and physical examination
  • Perform neurological and orthopaedic testing
  • Screen for red flags and contraindications
  • Modify, delay, or decline care when it is not appropriate


When these standards are followed, Chiropractic is recognised as one of the safest conservative
approaches available for spinal conditions (Whedon et al., 2022).


Risk does not come from Chiropractic itself.
Risk comes from poor assessment, poor standards, and poor clinical judgement.


That is precisely what our Health Blueprint™ process is designed to prevent.


References


Cassidy, J.D. et al. (2008) Risk of vertebrobasilar stroke and chiropractic: Results of a population-based case-control and case-crossover study. Spine, 33(4), pp. S176–S183.


Church, E.W. et al. (2016) Systematic review and meta-analysis of chiropractic care and cervical artery dissection. Spine, 41(2), pp. 159–167.


Whedon, J.M. et al. (2022) Risk of traumatic injury associated with chiropractic spinal manipulation. PLOS One, 17(2).