Chiropractic adjustments are safe when done by a person who is trained and authorized to perform chiropractic care. The most common side effects of chiropractic neck adjustments are mild pain, numbness, tingling, stiffness, or weakness for 24 to 48 hours after the adjustment. Some studies also suggest that chiropractic adjustments may work for headaches and other spine-related conditions, such as neck pain. If symptoms don't improve after a few weeks of treatment, chiropractic adjustments may not be the best treatment for you.
If you or a loved one experience these signs after a chiropractic adjustment, seek emergency medical attention. Orthospinology professionals (usually upper cervical chiropractors) prevent the neck from “cracking” for many reasons, and one of the main reasons is to delay the uncination process. In some cases, the chiropractor may adjust treatment for patients with these conditions to avoid high-speed adjustments. Low back pain, neck pain, and headaches are the most common reasons people seek chiropractic adjustments.
During a chiropractic adjustment, most of the time your chiropractor places you in certain poses to treat affected areas. Chiropractic adjustment is a procedure in which trained specialists, called chiropractors, use their hands or a small instrument to apply controlled force to a spinal joint. Manual manipulation of the cervical spine, often referred to as chiropractic neck adjustment, usually involves the patient sitting upright or lying on a padded table. The instrument-assisted adjustments performed by chiropractors of the upper cervix are much safer and more accurate than typical neck adjustments (high speed, low amplitude rotations or stretching).
If you decide to try a spinal adjustment for neck pain, be sure to visit a trained and licensed chiropractor. Conversely, a qualified upper cervical chiropractor adjusts the neck using manual adjustments or assisted by precise instruments, some mounted on a table and others manually. The patient was in her usual initial state of health and had no significant medical history before visiting the chiropractor to have her neck adjusted that same day to treat pain similar to tension.