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Risks of Chiropractic

Chiropractic is a safe therapy but it is very important to make sure that the practitioner is registered with the General Chiropractic Council.

Certain types of manipulation, such as high velocity thrusts (fast targeted movements) should not be used if the patient is suffering from conditions such as:

  • severe arthritis
  • fractured bones or severely dislocated joints
  • unstable or torn ligaments (small muscles)
  • vertebrobasilar insufficiency (trapped arteries in the spine), and 
  • spinal cord compression.

The chiropractor will refer a patient back to their GP in these circumstances, because chiropractic treatment is not appropriate. If there is any doubt whether a patient has a medical condition that makes chiropractic treatment inappropriate, the advice of the GP should be sought.