Chiropractic Concerns

Moving the neck with various jerking motions does have risks, and pressure on any area of the spine can create problems.

Some studies of chiropractic medicine have raised concerns over the practice of cervical neck manipulations, which may tear a carotid or vertebral artery leading to the brain. This can cause a blood clot that may lead to a stroke.

A 2010 study of post-chiropractic treatment deaths found that most of the deceased perished because a tear of a vertebral artery. That study found 26 published and seven unpublished cases but indicated that many more such problems may not have been reported or attributed correctly.

Similarly, a 2007 survey of adverse effects published in various medical journals found that spinal manipulation could lead to various problems, including strokes, and noted that problems were likely under-reported. A 2013 survey of 43 studies conducted between 2001 and 2011 seemed to back that up, with 707 strokes associated with cervical spinal manipulation.

That lack of data has led some to question whether chiropractic treatments are as safe as claimed. Not reporting the adverse effects of treatment is considered unethical by the medical community and creates a falsely positive notion of how safe chiropractic treatment may be.  

The conundrum is that clinical trials must support any claims for medical treatment. If there were no adverse effects from the treatment, that should also be reported. Some studies claim that as many as 50 percent of patients who visit a chiropractor may have adverse effects, including pain at the site of manipulation that goes away after a few days.