Should You See a Chiropractor?

Everything an older adult needs to know

Kristen Fischer,

AARP

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Published December 11, 2025

AARP (Getty Images)

When it comes to taking care of your health, you have a lot of tools to choose from — and not all of them involve taking medication.

Many older adults turn to chiropractors to relieve musculoskeletal pain without drugs, but benefits can go beyond easing aches. Chiropractic care can support overall health and physical function.

A 2012 estimate indicates that about 5 percent of older adults use a chiropractor every year. Approximately 20 percent of adults who see a chiropractor are over the age of 65, and 44 percent are between 31 and 64, according to an estimate by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners.

Pain is often what brings people to the office — especially lower back pain. The ailment is expected to increase 36 percent from 2020 to 2050, a 2023 study in The Lancet Rheumatology says. Most older adults seek chiropractic care for back or neck pain, according to 2002 data reported in Spine. Chiropractic adjustments involve quickly forcing a joint into proper alignment, which may sound painful in and of itself.

Chiropractors use a wide range of techniques and customize levels of force to manipulate the spine and joints, like knees, into alignment. In other words, it’s not all neck twisting and the sound of joints cracking. (And when it is, it’s done so quickly and precisely that it feels good to a lot of people.)

Though older adults typically have multiple medical issues and are on other medications, adjustments generally don’t complicate those conditions, says James M. Whedon, a professor and senior health services researcher at Southern California University of Health Sciences in Whittier, California.

Chiropractors tend to advocate for preventive measures and lifestyle interventions like better eating and exercise, so the chiropractic care may have a positive effect on health in general, Whedon adds.

How a chiropractor can help

The goal of adjustments is to reduce pain and also to increase your range of motion, which can wane with age. This can make it easier to stay active, says Paul Dougherty, a staff chiropractor and researcher at the Syracuse VA Medical Center in Syracuse, New York.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, chiropractic care can help with:

Arthritis
Joint pain
Regular headaches
Lower back pain
Neck pain
Sciatica
Muscle aches
Post-accident care

Chiropractors are trained to recognize situations when you shouldn’t have adjustments because of potential harm. For a significant trauma or fall, the emergency room is the place to go for immediate care, Whedon says. But if it’s a muscle strain or something not life-threatening, seeing a chiropractor may help, he adds.

Chiropractic techniques

Adjustments aim to realign the spine in order to relieve pain through what’s called spinal manipulation or joint manipulation, the Cleveland Clinic says.

Not every adjusting method involves twisting your neck and hearing it crack, says Cheryl Hawk, a doctor of chiropractic and a professor at Texas Chiropractic College in Pasadena. Gentler methods include using a device called an activator, which precisely pressures a specific joint.

People who are frail can benefit from chiropractic treatment because doctors tailor it to a person’s medical status, Hawk says. For example, if you have osteoporosis, they may use a gentler technique or lighter force during the adjustment, but you may still benefit from the care.

Doctors can also apply gentle, low-force pressure with their fingers. Some apply heat to loosen muscles before the adjustment. Many chiropractors also offer massage or acupuncture. Some even provide nutritional counseling.

Benefits of chiropractic care

Seeing a chiropractor can ease pain and possibly prevent it from occurring (though there’s less research on that), Whedon says. In addition to relieving pain, an adjustment can:

Improve posture or ease symptoms from osteoarthritis
Optimize nerve function

Some research indicates it may:

Boost your immune system
Ease dizziness from some causes

A 2024 study in Cureus suggests that older adults receiving adjustments for spinal pain may have a reduced risk of falls, but there’s not enough data to know for sure, a 2022 report in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders finds. People who are able to move more and improve their balance can be less likely to fall, Hawk says.

Another perk to chiropractic care: Utilizing chiropractic care was linked with a 56 percent lower risk of going on opioids among 9,356 Medicare beneficiaries, a 2022 study in Chiropractic & Manual Therapies found.

Is chiropractic care safe?

Data on the safety of chiropractic adjustments is limited in older adults, Doughtery wrote in a 2012 study in Chiropractic & Manual Therapies. When he studied chiropractic care, including its use in a long-term care facility, he found it was safe in older adults with osteoporosis and spinal stenosis and those on anticoagulant medications.

A 2015 report in Spine evaluated injuries within seven days of treatment in people who saw a primary care doctor or chiropractor, finding there were 153 injury incidents per 100,000 people who received primary care and 40 incidents for every 100,000 people who saw a chiropractor — something Whedon calls a “striking difference.”

Chiropractors undergo training similar to medical doctors in some respects, but few complete a residency. They have extensive training on the musculoskeletal system and are educated on multiple adjustment techniques and how to modify their force, says Hawk.

They’re also taught how to evaluate medications that can affect soft tissue and bones. For example, people on blood thinners or long-term corticosteroids should have a light-pressure adjustment to avoid bleeding and bruising, says Hawk, who shows her students how to help older adults on and off an adjustment table safely.

Chiropractic concerns

Serious adverse events from adjustments are rare, Whedon says. The Mayo Clinic reports some cases of herniated disks, pinched nerves and strokes as a result of adjustments.

Those strokes are from a rare condition called vertebral artery dissection — a tear in the vertebral artery can cause a clot to form. It most commonly affects people under 45. Patients with it often have neck pain or headache, which is what can bring them to a chiropractor, Whedon says. There’s no known cause for the tears, he adds.

In Whedon’s 2022 study published in BMC Geriatrics, he looked at data from about 9,000 Medicare beneficiaries who had a vertebral or carotid artery dissection. The risk for stroke after an adjustment was no greater in those who saw chiropractors compared with those who sought medical care for the headache or neck pain, the data show.

“The rate [at] which this occurs is no greater with chiropractic than with medical care,” Whedon says of the study. The risk for a dissection is “luck of the draw,” he adds.

The evidence doesn’t show that chiropractic adjustments can cause strokes, but it can exacerbate an existing tear, Dougherty says.

In a perfect world, it would be ideal to check if anyone has a tear before an adjustment, but doctors don’t perform the complex imaging because the condition is so rare, Whedon says. Some people experience a tear for no reason, while others may have risk factors such as smoking, high blood pressure, cystic medial necrosis and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, to name a few.

Other potential harms from adjustments, according to the Mayo Clinic:

Herniated disks, which occur when a vertebra along the spine is rotated out of place, the Mayo Clinic says. On the other hand, many chiropractors say they can ease herniated disk pain.
Pressure on nerves in the lower spine, also called compression.

The Mayo Clinic doesn’t recommend a chiropractic adjustment if you have:

Severe osteoporosis
Spinal cancer
Numbness, tingling or loss of strength in an arm or leg
High stroke risk
Bone formation issues in the neck

Coming Into Alignment: What Happens During an Adjustment

During an adjustment, you may lie face down on a table, and the doctor may raise your foot or ask you to move certain parts of your body (like putting one hand over your head and then the other).

The doctor may feel your back or neck, or ask you to go into different positions, to see what needs to be adjusted. Depending on the technique, the chiropractor will then apply a quick, controlled force to a joint that needs to be moved, with their hands or an activator. They may also gently stretch joints. Some put pressure on sore muscles to relieve the tension.

You may feel a crack or pop as joints move back into place. This occurs when oxygen, nitrogen or carbon dioxide is released from joints. You may be sore after the visit, but any discomfort tends to subside within a day.

What to look for in chiropractic care

If you think a chiropractor may be right for your needs, find one who will collect a detailed medical history, conduct a physical exam, talk about treatment benefits and risks, review any medications and supplements you take, and suggest alternatives, Dougherty says.

The doctor should let you know if they believe you’ll benefit from chiropractic care or if you should see another type of doctor because your issue may have another cause, he says. X-rays aren’t always necessary for all patients he sees, Doughtery adds.

Consider a chiropractor if you have pain that prevents you from exercising. Ask for references and avoid practices that are subscription-based or rope you into prolonged treatment plans. “Don’t ever let someone pressure you into a treatment plan that you’re not comfortable with,” Doughtery adds.

It’s always best to discuss a visit to a chiropractor with your primary care physician before booking an appointment.

Tips for getting started with a chiropractor

1. See if you’re a candidate

Going for an evaluation doesn’t have to mean you’ll be adjusted, Doughtery says. The doctor should do a thorough medical history review and exam. If you’ve gone through menopause, the doctor may ask about recent bone density screenings, Hawk says.

Once you go over everything, ask the doctor what types of treatment you may need. Check that your insurance will cover the consultation. Medicare will treat only spinal adjustments — not X-rays, massage or acupuncture.

2. Take your time

During your consultation, make sure the chiropractor answers all your questions. “You don’t want to feel rushed,” Dougherty says. If you’re hesitant about an adjustment, go home and think about it, he adds.

3. Talk about treatments

Chiropractors often provide a wide range of treatments, not just manual adjustments. Yours may suggest stretches and exercises, acupuncture, massage or bracing, or they may refer you for physical therapy or nutritional coaching. See if these will cost extra.

The goal is to give you the skills to manage your own pain, Dougherty says. The length of treatment depends on the individual, but three to four visits is reasonable to see if you’ll respond to the treatment, he adds.

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Kristen Fischer is a contributing writer at AARP based at the Jersey Shore. She has also written for Health, WebMD, and McKnights and is the author of Zoo Zen: A Yoga Story for Kids.