If you’ve never seen a chiropractor, two questions tend to come before any others: is it safe, and is it going to hurt? They’re sensible questions, and you deserve a straight answer to both.
What a chiropractor actually does
Chiropractors assess and treat problems with joints, muscles and nerves, most often in the back and neck. Treatment is not only the quick joint movement people picture. It also includes gentler joint mobilisation, soft tissue work, exercises and advice about what to do between appointments. Which of those is used depends on you and your problem.
“Chiropractor” is a protected title in the UK. Everyone who uses it must be registered with the General Chiropractic Council, which sets standards for training and practice, in the same way that doctors and physiotherapists are regulated.
Is it safe?
For most people, yes. The most common after-effects of hands-on treatment are mild and short-lived: some aching, stiffness or tiredness, usually easing within a day or two. It’s similar to how you might feel after exercise you’re not used to.
Serious complications are rare. Because they can happen, a first appointment starts with a full history and examination before any treatment, so that anything that makes a particular technique unsuitable is picked up. That includes your general health, medication, any previous injuries or surgery, and symptoms that suggest you should see a doctor instead. If chiropractic treatment isn’t right for you, I’ll tell you and help you get to the right person.
I’ll also explain what I’ve found, what I’d suggest, and the risks and alternatives, and nothing happens until you’re happy to go ahead. You can change your mind at any point.
What about stroke?
You may have read that neck manipulation has been linked to a rare type of stroke. What the research shows is more specific. A tear in one of the arteries in the neck can cause neck pain or a headache before it leads to a stroke, so some people in the early stages look for help with what feels like an ordinary sore neck. The largest study of this, using nine years of hospital records in Ontario, Canada, found a similar link between this kind of stroke and a recent visit to a GP as with a visit to a chiropractor. Its authors concluded the link is most likely explained by people seeking care for those early symptoms.
Treating the neck in that situation would not be appropriate, and that is where the risk lies. It is why screening matters. Before any treatment we take a full case history, ask you to complete a health questionnaire and examine you. If anything suggests your pain is not coming from the muscles and joints, we do not treat it, and we tell you who you need to see. No screening can rule out every risk, but it is how we keep your care as safe as we can.
Source: Cassidy and colleagues, Spine, 2008.
Who it may not suit
The NHS says chiropractic or osteopathy may not be safe for you if:
- you take blood thinning medicines, or are at increased risk of bleeding or stroke
- you have bones or joints that are very weak or seriously damaged
- you have a condition affecting your nerves, such as peripheral neuropathy
If any of these apply, tell us before you book or at the start of your appointment. It does not always mean we cannot help, but it changes what we would do, and sometimes the right answer is to see your GP first.
Source: NHS: Herbal medicines and complementary therapies (reviewed May 2026).
What is the cracking noise?
The pop or click that sometimes happens during a joint manipulation is gas moving within the fluid of the joint, much like the sound when you crack your knuckles. It isn’t bones grinding or anything being “put back in”. Not every manipulation makes a noise, and the noise isn’t what does the good.
Does it hurt?
Most treatment isn’t painful. A manipulation is quick and often feels like a release. Working on tight or tender muscles can be uncomfortable in the way a firm massage is, and I’ll check with you as I go. If you arrive in a lot of pain, I’ll start gently and work within what you can tolerate.
Feeling a little sore the next day is common and normally passes quickly. If you feel worse for longer than a couple of days, tell us.
Do I have to have my neck or back “cracked”?
No. Some people would prefer not to, and for some it isn’t appropriate. There are other ways to treat the same problem, including mobilisation, soft tissue techniques and exercise, and for many problems exercise is a large part of getting better anyway. Tell me at the start and we’ll plan treatment around it.
What we treat
Most of the people I see come with lower back pain, neck pain, headaches that come from the neck, shoulder problems and minor sports injuries. If your problem is something a physiotherapist, an osteopath or your GP would be better placed to help with, that’s what I’ll recommend.
If you’re still unsure
It’s fine to book a first appointment simply to be assessed and hear what I think, and to decide about treatment afterwards. You can read more about chiropractic in Haywards Heath, book online or call us on 01444 817851.
Written by Joe Lancaster, chiropractor. Reviewed by Sam Pargeter, chiropractor and co-founder of The Health Hub.