Chiropractic Stroke Rare? Not at all.
There is an excellent article by Dr. Steven Barrett that discusses the cause and effect of chiropractic manipulations and severance of the vertebral artery --thus leading to stroke. Dr. Barrett's article "Chiropractic's Dirty Secret: Neck Manipulation and Strokes" is can be found here.
In sum, Dr. Barrett discusses that "stroke from chiropractic neck manipulation occurs when an artery to the brain ruptures or becomes blocked by a clot as a result of being stretched. The injury often results from extreme rotation in which the practitioner's hands are placed on the patient's head in order to rotate the cervical spine by rotating the head."
Dr. Barrett correctly notes that, "Chiropractors would like you to believe that the incidence of stroke following neck manipulation is extremely small." But it really happens quite frequently.
Dr. Barrett notes that, "In 1992, researchers at the Stanford Stroke Center asked 486 California members of the American Academy of Neurology how many patients they had seen during the previous two years who had suffered a stroke within 24 hours of neck manipulation by a chiropractor. The survey was sponsored by the American Heart Association. A total of 177 neurologists reported treating 56 such patients, all of whom were between the ages of 21 and 60. One patient had died, and 48 were left with permanent neurologic deficits such as slurred speech, inability to arrange words properly, and vertigo (dizziness). The usual cause of the strokes was thought to be a tear between the inner and outer walls of the vertebral arteries, which caused the arterial walls to balloon and block the flow of blood to the brain. Three of the strokes involved tears of the carotid arteries [3]. In 1991, according to circulation figures from Dynamic Chiropractic, California had about 19% of the chiropractors practicing in the United States, which suggests that about 147 cases of stroke each year were seen by neurologists nationwide. Of course, additional cases could have been seen by other doctors who did not respond to the survey."
For more information about the rights of those who have suffered a stroke within a short time after visiting a chiropractor, contact Larry Jones. or visit http://www.kentuckyinjurylaw.com/
