By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    physical health
    5 Ways Playing Games Can Improve Neural and Physical Health
    September 9, 2022
    Reasons For Hair Loss and Its Treatment
    Reasons For Hair Loss and Its Treatment
    February 16, 2022
    healthcare organization
    5 Actionable Strategies For Healthcare Organizations
    August 15, 2022
    Latest News
    Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
    May 16, 2025
    Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
    May 16, 2025
    Choosing the Right Supplement Manufacturer for Your Brand
    May 1, 2025
    Engineering Temporary Hospitals for Extreme Weather
    April 24, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    email marketing in healthcare
    Harnessing the Power of Email Marketing in Healthcare
    October 26, 2023
    healthcare claims
    The Role of Communication in Resolving Complex Workers’ Compensation Claims in Healthcare Settings
    September 22, 2024
    Wounds and Wisdom: What Motorcycle Accidents Teach Us About Health and Healing
    Wounds and Wisdom: What Motorcycle Accidents Teach Us About Health and Healing
    February 12, 2025
    Latest News
    Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
    May 18, 2025
    The Critical Role of Healthcare in Personal Injury Recovery: A Comprehensive Guide for Victims
    May 14, 2025
    The Backbone of Successful Trials: Clinical Data Management
    April 28, 2025
    Advancing Your Healthcare Career through Education and Specialization
    April 16, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Do Full-Service Chiropractors Hurt People More than Help Them?
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Specialties > Orthopaedics > Do Full-Service Chiropractors Hurt People More than Help Them?
FitnessOrthopaedicsSpecialties

Do Full-Service Chiropractors Hurt People More than Help Them?

Andrew Miller
Last updated: September 17, 2021 6:29 pm
Andrew Miller
Share
8 Min Read
SHARE

Full-service chiropractic care has a lot of misunderstanding and myth surrounding it. Many people think anyone can call themselves a chiropractor and that you just need to go through a simple licensing process. You might even think it’s a pseudo treatment that doesn’t work.

Contents
What Is a Chiropractor?What’s the Role of Chiropractic Care?Are Chiropractors Legitimate?Does Chiropractic Treatment Work?Can a Chiropractic Adjustment Hurt?What Certifications do Chiropractors Have?Is it Normal to Feel Worse After a Chiropractic Visit?Risks of Chiropractic AdjustmentsResultsHow Often Do You Need to See the Chiropractor?Conclusion- Do Full-Service Chiropractors Hurt People More than Help Them?

None of this is true. In fact, chiropractors go through extensive training processes and substantial evidence exists that supports its benefits. However, there are a few risks to chiropractic care and you should be aware of them before committing to a treatment plan.

What Is a Chiropractor?

The best full-service chiropractors use instruments or their hands to manipulate the joints in the body manually. You can also call what a chiropractor does spinal or joint manipulation. These methods can potentially reduce pain and correct body posture.

What’s the Role of Chiropractic Care?

Doctors often refer patients to physical therapists immediately. However, those seeking alternative therapies can go to acupuncturists, massage therapists, or chiropractors to supplement or replace traditional therapeutic methods.

More Read

Can Anyone Explain This?
Five Key Things You Should Know About Hearing Aids
Materials and Techniques for Taking Dental Impressions
Turning Health Data into Health Narrative: Interview with Dr. Leslie Saxon on Digital Health
Have You Asked Your Patient About Their Needs, Values, Preferences and Goals Today?

The verdict is still out on the role of chiropractic care and whether it can be considered a viable alternative to therapies such as surgery and pain medication. There is also limited research supporting or refuting these therapies. Because of the lack of sufficient evidence, many questions remain regarding the role of chiropractors.

Should it be reserved for people who don’t improve with other treatments? For example, are people likely to improve with chiropractic care? Should it be routine?

The answer to these questions also has to account for other factors, such as the glaring need for alternative treatments. With $200 billion in costs of care for low back pain per year in the US and the growing opioid epidemic, it’s worth asking whether the rewards of chiropractic care outweigh the risks.

Are Chiropractors Legitimate?

A common myth held by many is that chiropractic care arbitrarily cracks bones and joints. That’s not true. Chiropractic care primarily refers to spinal manipulation. But it goes beyond superficial cracking. The spinal cord contains the central nervous system. So much of chiropractic care aims to discover how the manipulation of the spine can affect the body’s other functions.

Yes, chiropractors want to cure low back pain, whiplash-related conditions such as headaches, and neck pain. But they also try to affect nervous system conditions such as neuropathy.

Does Chiropractic Treatment Work?

A 2010 review cited by the NIH suggested that spinal manipulation may help treat back pain, migraine headaches, whiplash, and other nervous system disorders affecting the upper and lower extremities.

However, as a 2006 Gallup report shows, chiropractic care rates, last among health professions concerning ethics and honesty. Why is that? Another concerning fact is the numerous class action lawsuits against chiropractors for neck adjustments.

These conflicting facts again speak to the glaring need for more research regarding the efficacy of chiropractic care. It also suggests there may be a need for more standard approaches to the field. Without knowing the full effects and efficacy of chiropractic care, it’s difficult to tell what accounts for the lawsuit. Incompetence? Common mistakes?

Can a Chiropractic Adjustment Hurt?

Chiropractors should gently perform their adjustments so patients shouldn’t feel pain afterward. Patients go to chiropractors to experience relief. Some soreness may occur in the adjustment area, but this typically disappears within 24 hours.

What Certifications do Chiropractors Have?

Many consider chiropractic care a pseudo-science that doesn’t require extensive training. However, chiropractors have to complete about eight years of education before they receive their licensing. Bachelor’s degrees are not required to obtain your chiropractic license, but most chiropractors have them.

Chiropractors typically graduate with pre-med majors after taking science undergraduate courses such as biology, chemistry, psychology, and physics. After receiving their bachelor’s degree, they attend a chiropractic graduate program, which involves four years of education with 4,200 instructional hours.

Is it Normal to Feel Worse After a Chiropractic Visit?

Chiropractic visits can result in more pain before you begin to feel relief. However, some severe complications can arise from chiropractic care.

Risks of Chiropractic Adjustments

Chiropractic care done incorrectly can result in the following serious complications:

  • Herniated disc
  • Compression of nerves in the lower spine
  • Some types of stroke after manipulation

You should not seek chiropractic adjustment if you have the following conditions:

  • Cancer in your spine
  • An increased risk of stroke
  • A known bone abnormality in the neck.
  • Severe osteoporosis

Results

Chiropractic adjustments can result in decreased back pain. However, the research conducted only shows modest benefits. Not everyone responds to back and neck adjustments. If your symptoms don’t improve after several weeks of treatment, it might not be the best therapy for you.

How Often Do You Need to See the Chiropractor?

Your treatment will depend on your individual needs and treatment plan. Some patients may only require a specified amount of time to visit their chiropractor. Others will need ongoing treatment. Some patients may need to visit the chiropractor once while others will require treatment three times a week. Your chiropractor will go over your treatment plan with you in detail.

Conclusion- Do Full-Service Chiropractors Hurt People More than Help Them?

While you can experience some pain post-adjustment, you shouldn’t feel this pain worsen as you continue your treatment. There are also potential complications that can arise such as herniated discs. If you have conditions such as osteoporosis, you should not seek chiropractic care.

We still need research to determine the efficacy of chiropracfgtic adjustments. Preliminary research shows that chiropractic adjustments can help with lower back pain. However, not enough research exists to determine the full extent.

The bottom line is that chiropractic adjustments shouldn’t hurt you more than they help. If you experience more pain than pain relief, something is wrong and you need to consider choosing another chiropractor or abandoning this treatment method altogether.


While there may be some risks to chiropractic adjustments, the reliance on pain medication, the opioid epidemic, and the prevalence of back pain suggest there needs to be more of a push to alternative treatment methods such as chiropractic care.

Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Clinical Expertise
Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
Health care
May 18, 2025
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Health
May 15, 2025
Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
Health
May 15, 2025
Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction heart treatment
Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction
Cardiology
May 13, 2025

You Might also Like

aspirin cancer connection
Public HealthSpecialtiesWellness

Can Aspirin Protect Against Cancer?

September 10, 2013
SpecialtiesWellness

Cosmetic Dentistry In 2018: What’s New And What To Expect

October 2, 2018
InsomniaSpecialties

Sleepless Night? Main Causes & Four Best Natural Herbs To Help You Fall Asleep

July 7, 2021
DiabetesSpecialties

4 Clever Ways To Manage Your Diet With Diabetes

April 13, 2020
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?