Once in a while, I get a patient who comes to see me for the first time stating that they heard from a medical doctor, neurologist, friend or co-worker that a chiropractor killed or caused someone to have a stroke after a neck adjustment.  I normally don't like to post anything with a negative connotation but after hearing this a couple of times in the past couple of months, I wanted to address it. 

First of all, chiropractic care is safe and natural.  Chiropractors are not moving the neck, body or joints in any way that is not the normal range of motion for each person.  I have also not heard, seen or experienced anyone having a stroke after receiving care from a chiropractor and I have been in the business for over 14 years.   

We also do not "break necks" as I have heard people state to me when coming to me the first time with fear of a chiropractic adjustment.  We are highly trained and board certified.  We go through rigorous training and have been taught to adjust safely and efficiently.   So efficiently that our malpractice insurance is very low compared to other doctors because the risk of harm is so low. I have been seeing numerous chiropractors for years and have never experienced a stroke after an adjustment, not even close.  

In a study in 2017 noted in the National Library of Medicine. They took 15,523 cases to 62,092 control periods using exposure windows of 1, 3, 7  and 14 days prior to stroke.  They compared chiropractic care to primary care physicians and found no excess risk of carotid artery stroke after chiropractic care. They also reported primary care physicians and chiropractor results were similar and likely due to patients with early dissection related symptoms seeking care for symptoms prior to developing their strokes.  

I know hundreds of chiropractors who have never killed or caused a stroke and I have personally seen thousands of patients, none of them have had any severe side effects other than a bit of soreness after care which does happen when the body is treated. So, what are the risks of injury after getting chiropractic treatment? Well, mostly soreness that goes away in a couple of days. 

Here is the latest data on the risks of chiropractic care: https://www.thegoodbody.com/chiropractic-statistics-facts/