Chiropractic Injury Lawyer Blog

Two Connecticut women are urging Connecticut lawmakers to pass a bill requiring chiropractors to inform their patients about the risks of stroke and also require informed consent. Chiropractors are against the bill but have admitted that there is a risk of stroke associated with chiropractic treatment.

Britt Harwe and Janet Levy were victims of stroke caused by neck manipulation. When she was just 26 years old, Ms. Harwe sought chiropractic treatment for a stiff shoulder. However, one adjustment collapsed an artery in her neck and left her unable to walk, talk or swallow. After over 15 years of therapy Ms. Harwe has regained her ability to walk and talk but will never be able to eat again and is forced to feed herself through a stomach tube.

Ms. Harwe is fighting to change the laws of Connecticut in order to spread knowledge of the risk of stroke and prevent others from suffering a similar tragedy. If you or a loved one has been injured from chiropractic treatment please contact the attorneys at Bahe, Cook, Cantley & Jones.

We recently posted about the common practice of chiropractic manipulation on children and even infants raising disturbing questions about the possibility of causing vertebral artery tears and strokes in these tiny patients. Recent news from Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association, published this November reports that strokes are occurring in younger patients at a much higher rate than previously believed. Strokes, once believed to afflict only older patients and extremely rare in children, are now believed to be a real danger.

The article reported that strokes in kids may be for times more common than previously believed. This may be due, according to Dr. Heather Fullerton of the University of California in San Francisco, the lead author of the study, to doctors who treat these patients ignoring or not recognizing the warning signs of stroke. In Canada, the study reports, as many as 6 to ten children out of every 100,000 may be the victim of stroke.

Stroke, in adults or children, can be caused by tearing of the arteries near the neck and brain. This can be caused by numerous kinds of neck injuries like accidents, rough play, or even from chiropractic adjustments. What is alarming is that the highest risk of stroke is to newborns under a month in age.

Continue reading " Childhood Strokes – Dangerous and Underreported " »

The Washington State Department of Health, which is responsible for taking disciplinary action against healthcare providers and professionals in the State of Washington has recently suspended the licenses of two chiropractors for five years each for thier behavior.

In Clark County:
In June 2009 the Chiropractic Commission placed the license of chiropractor Troy M. Dreiling (CH00003052) on probation for five years. He failed to document reasons or need for treatments offered to patients, billed for an evaluation but failed to document the evaluation, took inadequate x-rays, failed to keep adequate documentation of diagnosis and treatments, and failed to comply with conditions set against his license. He must comply with terms and conditions set against his license.

In Spokane County:
In June 2009 the Chiropractic Commission placed the license of Michael A. Baker (CH00001832) on probation for five years. He directed unlicensed staff to perform chiropractic treatments when he was not present, altered billing slips and charts to reflect more treatment than was provided and billed insurance companies for the additional treatment, and he was previously placed on probation for failure to adequately maintain patient treatment records. He must comply with terms and conditions set against his license.

If you have questions about whether chiropractors in your state have been suspended or revoked, contact the attorneys at Bahe Cook Cantley & Jones PLC.

Does this concept concern you? Did you even know that many chiropracors push for treatment of children, some even as young as a couple of months old? Many highly influential chiropracic organizations, such as the Council on Chirpractic Practice, advocate the use of chiropractic treatment on children this young? With confirmed reports of adult patients suffering from vertebral artery tears and strokes, should children be put at the same risk?

This chiropractor actually tries to convince us that a standard vaginal dilervy of an infant can necessitate chiroractic treatment to correct "misalingments" of the baby's spine caused by the delivery. This video depicts a mother bringing her new-born in for its first chiropractic "adjustments." You will note that the chiropractor doing the traction adjustment, when asked whether stretching the baby will "even hurt him at all" responds that it won't because babies are "all so pliable these days!"

This video depitcts another baby being adjusted. The disturbing this about this one is that you can actually observe the chiropractor rapidly twising the child's head and neck to the side. The baby does not ever appear to be in pain, but neither are victims of vertebral artery tears prior to their injury (other than the discomfort they may be feeling that brought them to the chiropractors office in the first place). Just how far and how rapidly does a baby's head have to be twisted to cause injury? Would you want to be the parent that finds out? I'm not sure what is causing this poor child to be upset, but does it look to you like the adjustment is helping?

At Bahe Cook Cantley & Jones PLC, our personal injury attorneys recognize that injuries caused by chiropractors can happen to anyone, including children and infants. If you child has been injured by a chiropractic treatment, we are here to answer any questions you might have.

A study conducted between January 2001 and June 2006 examined the relationship between spinal manipulation and injuries. The results were published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine in July, 2007 (Volume 100, pg. 330-338).

The study ultimately concluded that spinal manipulation can have negative effects and manipulation of the cervical spine can be especially dangerous. Side effects can be serious and include vertebral artery dissection and stroke. Although the study notes that the frequency of stroke is not known, the authors suggest rethinking the use of spinal manipulation as a form of routine treatment. For more information about this study please see http://jrsm.rsmjournals.com/cgi/content/full/100/7/330.

If you have had a stroke and think it may be related to your chiropractic treatment please contact the attorneys at Bahe Cook Cantley & Jones or email Jasper.