Chiropractic Neck Adjustments Do Not Raise Risk Of Rare Artery Tear, Study Finds

Getting your neck adjusted by a chiropractor does not appear to increase the risk of a rare but serious artery tear.

Researchers analyzed data from more than 862,000 U.S. adults who sought care for a new episode of neck pain or headache between 2010 and 2025.

They compared patients who received chiropractor-administered spinal manipulation of the neck with those prescribed ibuprofen.

Within 30 days, 31 patients in the chiropractic group and 58 in the ibuprofen group were diagnosed with a cervical artery dissection — a tear in an artery in the neck that can lead to stroke.

Researchers found no evidence that chiropractic neck manipulation increased the risk.

An author of the study said people often ask her whether chiropractic care for neck pain is safe.

“This study is some of the best evidence yet that the answer to that question is yes,” said co-author Christine Goertz, a professor in orthopaedic surgery at the Duke Clinical Research Institute.

Still, researchers caution that patients and clinicians should watch for possible warning signs of an artery tear, including a sudden or unusual headache, neck pain that is different from usual or neurological symptoms.

The study was recently published in the journal Chiropractic & Manual Therapies.

More information

The Cleveland Clinic has more on cervical artery dissection.

SOURCE: HealthDay TV, Sept. 23, 2026