Ok I know what you're thinking. "You're a Chiropractor. Of course you're going to say it doesn't hurt." But wait a second, I'm not going to say that. Well at least not for everybody.
I have been privileged to meet so many patients over my career that have never seen a Chiropractor before and honestly, many tell me that treatment was no where near as bad as they had expected. However, if a patient does confront me with this question, I often explain it like this, "Are you afraid of needles?". This makes you think doesn't it? While I and many others are fine with getting shots, I know a few who would rather immerse themselves for hours doing their own taxes than get a shot.
I have found that many of my patients do not feel pain at all getting Chiropractic adjustments. They may feel a stretch, a pull, but they definitely don't describe it as pain. Now for a dose of honesty. Many people do report some side effects of treatment. Most commonly these include; soreness, tightness, inflammation and maybe even some bruising. For the vast majority, this is the extent of ill effects many people will report after a Chiropractic adjustment. Now to be honest there have been reported serious side effects of treatment as well. These include fractures of the ribs and most seriously, damage to the vertebral arteries in the neck that may lead to a stroke.
The reported incidences of the serious side effects occurring is very small, some suggesting in the order of 1 for every million treatments. To put that into perspective, you are far more likely to suffer a serious injury driving to work everyday or even by taking an over-the-counter pain reliever.
So obvious question is, "How do you minimize the risk of pain or other side effects?". In my practice, you'll find I devote a lot of time and attention to the muscles. I offer my patients ample massage and stretching of the muscles. Relaxing already tight muscles makes the patient handle the Chiropractic adjustments far more easily. In addition, this measure can help prevent the patient from feeling sore after a treatment.
As far as the other serious side effects of fractures or strokes are concerned, a big part is in the screening process. During a thorough history and exam, a Chiropractor should be able to ask particular questions that can signal a potential problem. Depending on the answers, the Chiropractor should investigate further to reveal other pre-existing factors that might make Chiropractic adjustments ill advised.
Examples of these questions would be, "Have you been diagnosed with Osteoporosis?", "Have you ever been diagnosed with serious illnesses such as cancer?", "Are you experiencing a headache like none before?", "Are you losing you appetite/weight unexpectedly?", "Are you feeling dizzy, lightheaded, having trouble concentrating?"
Remember if you have questions, please get in touch with your COMMERCIAL DRIVE - EAST VANCOUVER CHIROPRACTOR; DR.DOMINIC CHAN DC HERE!!
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