Q: Isn't it dangerous to have someone twist your neck and back the way chiropractors do?

A: First of all, unless they are a trained chiropractor, it would be impossible for someone to "twist your neck and back the way chiropractors do." It takes years of training for a doctor to learn the fine arts of manipulating and adjusting the human body.
Secondly, chiropractic is recognized world wide as one of the safest non-invasive and drug-free treatments for neuromuscular problems.
Third, while no medical procedure is 100% safe for 100% of patients, risks from chiropractic treatment is almost unheard of. Of all complaints about treatment by a Chiropractor, the mild soreness associated with spinal adjustment are by far the most common. Interestingly, these aches are usually very short lived and are gone within a day. Fourth, there are far greater risks in treating musculoskeletal problems with prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) anti-inflammatories than with chiropractic. The American Journal of Gastroenterology has reported that about 33% of hospital stays and deaths that are connected to gastrointestinal bleeding are attributable to the use of aspirin and painkillers like ibuprofen. And finally, some patients worry about the effects of cervical manipulation. (Cervical manipulations is often referred to as neck adjustment or "cracking the neck.") There have been questions about whether this treatment can contribute to certain kinds of strokes. But, as any MD can attest, these same strokes often occur spontaneously. History shows that injures to the arteries due to cervical manipulation occur in about one case out of every 5.85 billion adjustments. However, prescription medications claim the life of one out of every 450 cases due to stroke.