Healthy young people had a sixfold extra risk of a neurological problem within 30 days of neck manipulation, possibly caused by a tearing of an artery leading to the brain.

Professor Edzard Ernst claims spinal manipulation used by chiropractors and osteopaths does not work for any medical condition.

And in some cases, he said, it can make the problem worse.

The study claims the practice can cause minor adverse effects such as pain and headaches. More serious complications are rare, but could include strokes.

Professor Ernst fears patients are accepting of both therapies because they are regulated in the UK, with official bodies registering practitioners and upholding standards.

Little Evidence

In his research published today in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, he raises concerns based on an analysis of 16 reviews of spinal manipulation between 2000 and May 2005.

These covered conditions such as back and neck pain, infant colic, dizziness, asthma and allergy. But the data did not show "that spinal manipulation is an effective intervention."

Professor Ernst, professor of complementary medicine at the University of Exeter's Peninsula Medical School, said: "There is little evidence that spinal manipulation is effective in the treatment of any medical condition. The findings are of concern because chiropractors and osteopaths are regulated by statute in the UK."

Chiropractors and osteopaths use gentle manipulation and massage techniques to correct misalignments of the spine causing neck and back pain.

Patients sometimes hear cracking as the joint surfaces are moved apart.

Professor Ernst, who carried out the study with colleague Dr. Peter Canter, said the risks of adverse effects caused by spinal manipulation mean it cannot be recommended to patients.

"It has been associated with frequent, mild adverse effects and with serious, probably rare implications," he said.

Wakeup Call

Professor Ernst fears regulation of chiropractors who charge around Pounds 60 an hour for private sessions means research into the effectiveness of treatment has dried up.

He said: "The evidence presented here should be seen as a wakeup call to the chiropractic profession. Chiropractors must demonstrate why it should be a recommendable medical treatment option."

A study by US neurologists found having your neck 'cracked' by a chiropractor increased the risk of a stroke.

They found healthy young people had a sixfold extra risk of a neurological problem within 30 days of neck manipulation, possibly caused by a tearing of an artery leading to the brain. Chiropractors undergo at least four years' training and are registered with the UK statutory body, the General Chiropractic Council, while osteopaths are regulated by the General Osteopathic Council.

A spokesman for the British Chiropractic Association said: "Ernst and Canter have carefully selected negative articles in support of their conclusion that manipulation cannot be recommended as a treatment when national clinical practice guidelines, based on much more and better research than the studies this article has selected, has come to exactly the opposite conclusion.

"Professor Ernst has a track record of the disparagement of manipulation professions, especially chiropractic, which more capable scientific review has found to be groundless."

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