MARYLAND MED. MAL. ATTY.: CHIROPRACTIC MANIPULATION, STROKE, AND WALLENBERG SYNDROME

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CHIROPRACTIC MANIPULATION CAUSES STROKE (MELLENBERG SYNDROME)

The Plaintiff is a 62-year old male. He visited a chiropractor for treatment of a pinched nerve in his back. He wanted to get chiropractic treatment before going hunting.
The chiropractor apparently tore the Plaintiff's vertebral artery on the left. His wife took him to the hospital where he was diagnosed with stroke secondary to the artery tear.
He was flown to another location for surgery and other treatment and was admitted to the surgical center for six days. Upon discharge he was in Rehabilitation for another 6 days.
He eventually quit physical therapy because he believed he could "do the same things at home" that  the physical therapists were doing for him.
Currently, his wife states that he speaks better than he had done previously after the stroke but that he still has "deficits." He also had choking that is slowly improving.; and that he staggers when he walks. Also, he walks with a broad-based antalgic gait with a walker ( although his wife opines that he does not use the walker as much as he should).

The Obvious Issue Is:

Is it negligence for a chiropractor to twist the neck in such a way as to tear the vertebral artery?

Answers of  Two  MEDQUEST  Chiropractor Experts:

(1) YES. It is negligent.

(2) YES. This is the most common form of stroke following cervical spine manipulation --- especially at the C1 - C2 spinal level, which contains the V3 segment of the vertebral artery where it is most susceptible to trauma. This results in the classic  WALLENBERG SYNDROME  * due to disrupted blood flow to the  PICA ( Posterior Inferior Cerebellar Artery) which is the first branch of the vertebral artery.

* The WALLENBERG SYNDROME is a neurological condition caused by a stroke in the vertebral or posterior inferior cerebellar artery of the brain stem.  Symptoms include difficulties with swallowing, hoarseness, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, rapid involuntary movements of the eyes (nystagmus), and problems with balance and gait coordination.
[www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/wallenbergs; info@medquestltd.com]