Strokes Due to Chiropractic Cervical Manipulation

Chiropractic Diagnosis and Treatment

 Chiropractors use many methods to "detect" and "correct" subluxations. Not surprisingly, these methods suffer from lack of validation and poor interexaminer and intraexaminer reliability. In other words, the methods used by chiropractors have not been shown to be an accurate measure of what they are supposed to detect or correct. Further, a chiropractor cannot replicate his own results, nor can two or more chiropractors replicate each other's results.

Because chiropractors believe in the systemic effect of the subluxation, they claim the detection and correction of subluxations is efficacious for non-musculoskeletal conditions, such as allergies, asthma, bedwetting, colic, painful periods, autism, ADHD, and many, many others. Many chiropractors also claim that regular chiropractic visits are necessary to detect and correct subluxations for general health. The analogy they often use is regular dental checkups. (Of course, the difference is that the benefit of regular dental checkups is well established scientifically.) Again, there is not any plausible biological evidence to support the existence of the subluxation, much less regular visits for what is often referred to as "spinal health." (Also sometimes referred to as "maintenance treatments" or "wellness care.")

One key difference between medical and chiropractic practice is the differential diagnosis. For example, an M.D. will start with the patient's symptoms and physical findings. By process of elimination, the M.D. will settle on one or several diagnoses. A chiropractor often starts with the assumption that the problem is “subluxation-based” (thereby automatically eliminating other causes) and proceeds accordingly. (If your only tool is a hammer, then all problems are nails.) Failure to diagnose, failure to refer for other treatments, or failure to discuss alternate treatments (an element of informed consent) may be the result.

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© 2009 Jann Johnson Bellamy, J.D., (jbellamy@alternativemedsafety.org), Campaign for Alternative Medicine Consumer Safety. Reprinted by The Abelson Law Firm with permission. Further reproduction prohibited without permission of the author.