Myths and Facts

Chiropractic Adjustments are Dangerous

Fact

This is just wrong; as a matter of fact, you are hundreds of times more likely to suffer an adverse reaction to taking an aspirin than you are to have a chiropractic adjustment. Most people don’t realize that there are more than 100,000 adverse reactions each year from taking a simple aspirin, while there are fewer than 100 adverse reactions to chiropractic adjustments. When you consider that there are over 3 million people being adjusted in one year, the risk of being adjusted is very small.

Once you Start Chiropractic, You Must Continue Forever

Fact

While this is not strictly true, it is important to remember that all doctors will continue to treat you for the rest of your life, at least ideally. For example, how often do you go to the dentist? Is it not true that your dentist will keep scheduling visits even when you have no tooth pain? We all learned at an early age the value of routine maintenance for our teeth, but most of us never learned the importance of the same type of routine maintenance for the rest of the body.

Medical Doctors Don’t Like Chiropractors

Fact

For the most part, there is little animosity toward chiropractors in the medical community. Maybe a few medical doctors don’t like chiropractors for one reason or another. As a matter of fact, more and more medical doctors and nurses are being treated by chiropractors every year. Chiropractors are now on staff at many major hospitals and colleges, on professional sports teams, the military, and insurance companies, and work side by side with medical doctors in private clinics.

People can Adjust Themselves by “Cracking” Their Neck or Back

Fact

It would be almost impossible to adjust oneself in a way to free any fixations or correct any subluxations. Some people can get their neck or back to “pop,” but this usually only affects the segments that are not the true culprit and, over time, can lead to other problems. Just as you wouldn’t perform surgery on yourself, it is best to leave the adjustments to your back and neck to a professional chiropractor. Even professionals cannot adjust themselves.

Spinal Adjustments Hurt

Fact

Many patients feel instant relief immediately after their treatments; for obvious reasons, patients suffering from severe neck or back pain may experience some discomfort. For most patients, this is not the case; in fact, most patients look forward to their chiropractic treatments.