Spinal Manipulation - a pain in the neck?

A debate has been published today in the British Medical Journal (8 June 2012), questioning the safety of neck manipulation. The story has been picked up by a number of national newspapers, and has been discussed on live radio and television programmes. Regrettably, many of these  focus on the negative, so often the case with sensationalist journalism. I hope that I will be able to provide a more realistic, accurate and balanced view.

Neck manipulation has been shown to be safe and effective and benefits thousands of people suffering from neck pain and headaches. In fact, the risk of a stroke after treatment is the same whether you see a GP and get a prescription, or see a chiropractor and get your neck adjusted. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18204390)

Manipulation of the neck is at least as effective as other medical treatments and is safer than many of the drugs used to treat similar conditions. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17258728)

The term chiropractic is often mis-used for treatment carried out by non-chiropractors. This leads to over-reporting of incidents blamed on chiropractors, including in the BMJ. In one report of 24 cases attributed to chiropractors, not one was shown to be a chiropractor. (http://chiromt.com/content/14/1/16#B21)

Chiropractors are highly trained in spinal care and manipulation. In one UK study undertaken in 2007, of 50,000 neck treatments reviewed, not one single adverse event was reported. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17906581)

The cherry-picking of poor quality research needlessly raises alarm in patients and does little to help people suffering from neck pain and headaches to choose the most appropriate treatment.

I hope that this has allayed any fears or worries about the safety and efficacy of spinal manipulation when carried out by a trained, professional pair of hands. However, should you have any further concerns or queries - please, just ask!

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