More than 60 Canadian neurologists have issued a statement warning that chiropractic manipulation of the neck can lead to stroke and death. Neurologists and the Canadian Stroke Consortium warn that chiropractic manipulation involving the neck can result in arterial dissection. They make 6 recommendations and call for a ban on manipulations involving babies and children. Chiropractic treatments can cause mild and temporary side effects, such as discomfort, stiffness or headache.
Rarely, people also report serious events, such as spinal cord injury, arterial dissection, and stroke. Conclusions Spinal manipulation, especially when performed on the upper part of the spine, is frequently associated with mild to moderate adverse effects. It can also cause serious complications, such as vertebral artery dissection followed by a stroke. The incidence of this type of event is currently unknown.
For the sake of patient safety, we should reconsider our policy toward the routine use of spinal manipulation. The man developed neurological injuries after chiropractic treatment on his neck. There is a known phenomenon called vertebral artery dissection that can occur during chiropractic manipulation of the cervical neck. The adjustment occurs when the chiropractor performs a certain maneuver with the head and neck.
While some patients may feel relief with the adjustment, there may be a different outcome. The procedure involves an area where an artery, the vertebral artery, is located, which carries oxygen-rich blood to the brain. The adjustment is known to cause a dissection of the vertebral artery. The dissection can tear the wall of the vertebral artery and form a flap in which blood can accumulate, slowing blood flow to the brain and sometimes causing a clot to form when the wall.
The clot can then break down into smaller clots that then flow to areas of the brain. These clots can cause a stroke or stroke. Strokes can cause brain damage. If there are several clots that go to different areas of the brain, the damage can result in multiple symptoms and deficits. Once again, adequate and prompt attention to symptoms may be necessary after a chiropractic adjustment of the cervical neck to treat a vertebral artery dissection.
There have been cases in which vertebral artery dissection causes significant permanent brain damage that causes lifelong disability, requiring extensive rehabilitation, treatment, adaptations and costs. Signs of a stroke after a chiropractic adjustment may include weakness in an arm, difficulty speaking or speaking, and numbness or drooping on one side of the face. Virtually all chiropractors regularly use spinal manipulation to treat low back pain and other musculoskeletal pain. The patients were predominantly women (average age 39) who had seen a chiropractor for neck pain or headache.
The therapists involved are mostly chiropractors; this predominance is probably due to the fact that these therapists use spinal manipulation more frequently than other professionals. During cervical manipulation, chiropractors use a high-speed push technique that can put pressure on the vertebral and carotid arteries. Chiropractors claim that by manipulating the spine, they can treat a wide variety of diseases, such as asthma, ulcers, rheumatoid arthritis, high blood pressure, liver problems and skin disorders. An experienced physician who reviewed the file believes that the chiropractor caused the neurological injury to Brandon's brachial plexus by the high-speed maneuver or shake that was part of the chiropractic treatment planned for his neck.
The United States government recognizes chiropractors as medical professionals and they can be enlisted in the United States military. The cases involve not only the negligent carrying out of the adjustment by cervical manipulation, but also the fact that the chiropractor does not adequately evaluate the patient's symptoms or make the appropriate referral before or instead of attempting the maneuver. These chiropractors object to the claim that their colleagues can treat numerous medical conditions through manipulation of the spine. Chiropractic is now an established part of the American healthcare system, and some doctors work with chiropractors.
Chiropractors have opposed this, noting that some of the reported complications are due to manipulation by people without chiropractic qualification. People can visit a chiropractor for help with various conditions related to the musculoskeletal system, such as neck or back pain. On the other hand, skill is a quality that is not easily controlled in this type of research; even some chiropractors may be more skilled than others.
