Spinal adjustment

[6] Claims made for the benefits of spinal adjustments range from temporary, palliative (pain relieving) effects to long term wellness and preventive care.

Specifically, adjustments are intended to correct "vertebral subluxations", a non-scientific term given to the signs and symptoms that are said by chiropractors to result from abnormal alignment of vertebrae.

All techniques claim effects similar to other manual therapies, ranging from decreased muscle tension to reduced stress.

Studies show that most patients go to chiropractors for musculoskeletal problems:[15] 60% with low back pain, and the rest with head, neck and extremity symptoms.

"[17] A 2019 global summit of "50 researchers from 8 countries and 28 observers from 18 chiropractic organizations" conducted a systematic review of the literature, and 44 of the 50 "found no evidence of an effect of SMT for the management of non-musculoskeletal disorders including infantile colic, childhood asthma, hypertension, primary dysmenorrhea, and migraine.

This finding challenges the validity of the theory that treating spinal dysfunctions with SMT has a physiological effect on organs and their function.

"[17] There has been limited research on the safety of chiropractic spinal manipulation, making it difficult to establish precise estimates of the frequency and severity of adverse events.

[18][19][20] Adverse events are increasingly reported in randomized clinical trials of spinal manipulation but remain under–reported despite recommendations in the 2010 CONSORT guidelines.

[7][25] A scoping review found that benign (mild-moderate) adverse events such as musculoskeletal pain, stiffness, and headache were common and transient (i.e., resolved within 24 hours), and affected 23–83% of adults.