Causes of Chiropractic Malpractice

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Chiropractic manipulation of the spine, particularly through a sudden twist of the neck, can lead to a stroke. This is an issue that chiropractors don't like to talk about, and in fact appears to be seriously underreported in the literature.

The Abelson Law Firm, with personal injury lawyers in Washington, D.C. and Maryland, but accepting cases from across the country, has successfully handled chiropractor malpractice cases resulting in stroke. If you or a loved one has suffered a stroke, which has occurred within hours, days or weeks following a chiropractic neck manipulation or adjustment, please contact our personal injury lawyers online or by phone at 202-331-0600 or toll free 1-888-797-4242 for a free consultation.

The chiropractic technique as it is practiced today was founded by Daniel David Palmer in the 1890s. Though he had no formal medical training, he reasoned that the brain and nervous system were key to the body's ability to stay healthy. He also believed that illness signaled a blockage in the nervous system. He ultimately developed a system of spinal "adjustments" intended to relieve spinal misalignments, or "subluxations."

Today, students study chiropractic at chiropractic colleges and receive degrees as doctors of chiropractic. But unlike medical doctors, chiropractors are not licensed to treat disease with surgery, medications or injections. They focus entirely on adjustments to the spine. This approach can lead to problems in two ways.

• First and foremost, an adjustment itself can cause injury. A neck adjustment, during which the head is moved sharply to adjust the upper spinal vertebrae, has the potential to cause a small tear in the inner lining of the vertebral or carotid artery. This tear, called a dissection, can lead to bleeding that results in a stroke. A review of chiropractic studies since 2001, published in the Journal of the Royal Science of Medicine, resulted in the author calling into question the safety of routine spinal manipulation, in part due to dissections. It is unknown how often this occurs, because some strokes don't happen until days or weeks after the injury, and the causal link may not be readily apparent to patients or their doctors.
• Secondly, the adjustment may aggravate an existing medical illness, such as a herniated spinal disk. Chiropractors, who are not trained in illnesses, may nonetheless perform a neck adjustment that only worsens a problem that requires treatment by a medical doctor. They may do this because they fail to take a medical history from the client and examine the patient beforehand.

Even if chiropractic patients are not injured due to an adjustment, they may fail to get medical treatment based on the belief that the chiropractic manipulation will heal their pain. Meanwhile, their conditions may worsen because the chiropractor has failed to refer them for proper treatment by a medical doctor.

If you or a loved one has suffered a stroke in the days, hours or weeks following a chiropractic visit, we respectfully suggest you consult an attorney with experience in chiropractic malpractice. The Abelson Law Firm works with a board certified physician who will help determine the extent of your injuries due to a chiropractic manipulation. For a free consultation call 1-888-797-4242 or fill out our online form.