Tag: cervical artery dissection

Another serious complication from chiropractic cervical manipulation: Vertebral fracture leading to paralysis and death

John Lawlor was an 80 year old man with leg pain. Thinking he was going for physiotherapy, he ended up in the office of Arleen Scholten, a chiropractor. What happened next involved cervical spine manipulation, vertebral fracture, death, and a lack of accountability.

/ November 25, 2019

Neck Manipulation, Stroke, and the Vertebral Artery Stretch: Views, Opinions, and Options

Stroke reported as being associated with neck manipulation is rare when stroke numbers are tallied with the total number of neck manipulations performed, but the true incidence of this injury is not known and may be much greater than indicated by case reports. Advocating or providing neck manipulation without warning about the limitations and the danger of such treatment is irresponsible and...

/ September 1, 2017

Chiropractic and Spinal Manipulation Red Flags: A Comprehensive Review

Many people visit chiropractors’ offices seeking relief from back pain. Appropriate use of spinal manipulation provided by a chiropractor can be helpful in treating mechanical-type back pain, but there are good reasons to avoid chiropractic manipulation based on correction of “vertebral subluxations,” and there are red flags to look for before undergoing any kind of manipulative treatment for neck or back pain.

/ July 7, 2017

Corrigendum. The week in review for 02/12/2017

The week in review. Chiropractic and stroke. Integrative Medical doctors don’t trust vaccines. Death from medical marijuana. Shilajit: compost or mulch oozing from Himalayan rocks. India goes full Tuskeegee with AIDS. And more!

/ February 12, 2017

Chiropractic- Ignoring the Precautionary Principle Since 1895

Bleh. I turned from a short trip to the city of angles with a bad man cold that just isn’t going away. Those who do primary care all tell me that whatever is going around lasts 2-3 weeks. Great. I am not sick enough to get out of work but I am not well enough to have any enthusiasm to do anything....

/ April 15, 2016

Chiropractic and Stroke: No Evidence for Causation But Still Reason for Concern

Can neck manipulation (by chiropractors or by other practitioners) cause strokes? Many of us think it can, but definitive proof is lacking. A recently published study looked at the available evidence. A systematic review found a small association between stroke and chiropractic care but concluded that the association was spurious and that there was no evidence for causation. My colleagues and I...

/ April 5, 2016

Chiropractors, Naturopaths, Concussions and Senate Bill 1535

Is it a good idea that chiropractors be allowed to clear children to play sports after a concussion? No. It is not a good idea.

/ February 19, 2016

Did chiropractic neck manipulation kill Katie May?

Well, we’re back. Yes, after having our WordPress database somehow borked to the point where no new posts could be added and no existing posts could be edited since Friday, Science-Based Medicine is back in business—finally! As a result, some of you might have seen this post elsewhere, as it was considered to be somewhat time-sensitive, and I didn’t want to delay,...

/ February 8, 2016

Chiropractors Lobby for Acceptance by the VA and TRICARE

It seems alternative medicine is infiltrating into more and more organizations that should be based on science. We have quackademia in medical schools, integrative medicine clinics in hospitals and medical centers, government funding for alternative medicine research and education, coverage of alternative medicine by government and private health insurance, and acceptance of alternative practitioners in the VA and in military hospitals. Two...

/ October 6, 2015

October is National Chiropractic Health Month!

October is National Chiropractic Health Month (NCHM) and chiropractors can’t resist the opportunity to overstate, obfuscate, and prevaricate in celebration. They do this in the face of some unfortunate (for them) statistics revealed by a recent Gallup Poll. The Poll was paid for by Palmer College of Chiropractic as part of an effort to increase the chiropractic share of the health care...

/ October 1, 2015