One of the main problems with this issue, is that the chiropractic profession has attempted to ignore, or minimize the realities of this devastating consequence. They often state that it occurs in only one out of a million cervical manipulations, or that a person is more likely to be struck by lightning. Recently an administrator at a prominent chiropractic college in the midwest was asked about stroke following chiropractic upper cervical manipulation. He responded that this phenomenon has NEVER happened. Of course this is totally false as prestigious medical journals from around the world have documented these cases for the past sixty years. The real concern should not focus on the frequency of this occurence but rather on risk/benefit ratio. No matter how infreqent the complication, if there is little or no benefit to the procedure, then a complication as severe as death can not be risked. This is the case with regard to chiropractic manipulation of the highest part of the neck. It is a procedure that is used to treat everything from ear infections in babies to high blood pressure and epilepsy in adults. There is no evidence of any benefit for the majority of the ailments that this procedure is utilized for. |
