Adverse events from spinal manipulations in the pregnant and postpartum periods: a systematic review and update

The purpose of this study is to update a previous critical review of adverse events in pregnant and postpartum populations.

The following databases were searched: PubMed, CINAHL, Index to Chiropractic Literature, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews/Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and MEDLINE. We included all study design types as it was determined a priori that there would not be enough high-quality research on spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) in these populations to make any determinations. The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) and CARE (CAse REport) checklists were used for quality rating.

This update found one case study that demonstrated a serious adverse event in the cervical spine following SMT and a handful of minor and transient adverse events in the low back following SMT.

There was limited evidence of adverse events following SMT in these populations. Although we are calling for improved reporting of such events in future studies, it may be that such injuries are rare.