Large study finds no added risk of rare artery tear following chiropractic neck care
Getting your neck adjusted by a chiropractor does not appear to raise the risk of a rare but serious artery injury, according to a large observational study from a multidisciplinary collaboration including researchers at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic and Duke University.
An extensive study involving more than 862,000 adults found no increased risk of a rare neck artery injury following chiropractic neck care, as reported in a new research study. Researchers from the University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, and Duke University collaborated to analyze health records and insurance claims from a U.S. database, examining the effects of chiropractic cervical spinal manipulation compared to ibuprofen prescriptions.
After careful analysis and statistical matching, the study concluded that patients receiving chiropractic neck manipulation had similar 30-day cervical artery dissection rates (31 cases) as those prescribed ibuprofen (58 cases). Cervical artery dissection, a rare but serious condition, can lead to stroke and is often difficult to study due to its rarity and the commonality of related symptoms.
This large observational study provides reassurance about the safety of cervical spinal manipulation, but researchers emphasize the importance of clinicians being vigilant for warning signs such as sudden headaches, atypical neck pain, or neurological symptoms among patients experiencing new episodes of neck pain or headache.
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