This past summer, a woman in Georgia was hospitalized due to damages to the vertebral artery after a "neck adjustment" by a chiropractor. As a PT who loves treating neck, this caught my attention and I just want to investigate how safe is “neck adjustment”.

A research article published by Canadian Medical Association Journal estimated the chance of that happening is 1/8.06 million chiropractic office visits. Other statistics have shown anywhere from 1 in 0.5-1 million. To put into perspective, I have listed other statistics for you to contemplate:

I guess the chance of getting seriously hurt by a “neck adjustment” is anywhere between getting struck by lighting and winning the lottery. So is it safe? Would you do it? Let me know in the comments below.