The #1 Myth About Chiropractor Care:
You may have heard the myth that chiropractors are causing strokes in their patients by manual manipulations and adjustments. This myth is both terrifying and scary especially with the fear that a simple crack of your spine or neck could send you to the emergency room with a full blown code stroke. I am here to further discuss and debunk this myth by validating facts and providing you with the benefits of having cervical manipulation treatments.
The Actual Risk Factors for Stroke:
– Tobacco Use
– Hypertension [high blood pressure]
– Heart Disease
– Hyperglycemia [high blood sugar]
A person’s lifestyle is a major factor and predicator of an increased risk of stroke. Smoking, alcohol use, poor diet, and a sedentary lifestyle will place a person at high risk for having an ischemic stroke.
Interventions to reduce one’s risk of stroke would include smoking cessation, decreasing or abstinence from alcohol, introducing light exercise, and making better food choices daily.
So…Where did this Myth originate from?
This myth came from patients having a previous or underlying issue located in their brain or neck such as an embolism or thrombus (blood clot) which will produce symptoms such as moderate to severe neck pain. This pain won’t be relieved by over the counter medications such as Tylenol or Advil or other alternate therapy such as massage. Due to this chronic pain, patients will typically seek an appointment with a chiropractor because they have relentless neck pain but we must note that neck pain is rarely to be a sign of stroke.
Signs & Symptoms of a Stroke provided by the American Heart Association include:
(American Heart Association and American Stroke Association Linking Policy, 2021)
An underlying condition called a VAD (Vertebral Artery Dissection) is found to be most likely the cause of a stroke.
Ongoing 9+ year studies have proven that Chiropractic Adjustments do not place patients at a greater risk for having an ischemic stroke or ischemic attack.
- The condition VAD has occurred in patients from simply turning or rotating their head, having a coughing fit, or even normal daily movements or stretching of the neck.
- The majority of patients experiencing VAD have an underlying illness or disease in progress such as a thrombus or embolus, as previously mentioned.
- VAD is considered by medical professionals medical to be both random & unpredictable.
(Murphy, Schneider, Perle, Bise, Timko, & Haas, M. (2016).
Recent & Ongoing Studies Prove:
A study compared over 15,500 cases over a span of nine years who were admitted to a community hospital with the diagnosis of a stroke showed there was no found link or association between chiropractic visits resulting stroke in those 45 years of age or older. (Cassidy, et, al. 2008).
Other Myths about Chiropractor Care:
Despite the word on the street or what you may have heard from other professions in the field, Chiropractors must pass a National board exam to earn their license to practice and attend schooling to complete both their undergraduate and their doctoral graduate degrees. They are highly skilled and have years of clinical practice prior to being able to practice, evaluate, diagnose, and treat ailments such as neck pain.
By: Nenad Stojkovic
In conclusion, Chiropractor care is safe & effective
From personal experience, I highly recommend seeing a chiropractor especially if you suffer from neck or back pain. Perform your own research and find a board certified and credited medical practitioner in your area. Your first visit to a chiropractor will involve an x-ray or scan and a full evaluation and history to find a treatment plan specifically geared towards your ailment and recovery.
Dr. Shawn Thistle shares his knowledge and expertise in the field to discuss common myths about chiropractic adjustments in this Youtube video below. ↓ ↓ ↓
References
Cassidy, J.D., Boyle, E., Cote, P., He, Y., Hogg-Johnson, S.Silver, F.L., & Bondy, S. J. (2008). Risk of vertebrobasilar stroke and chiropractic care: Results of population-based case-control and case-crossover study. Spine, 33(45), S175-S183.
Heart Attack, Stroke, and Cardiac Arrest Symptoms. Accessed 12/13/21. American Heart Association. https://www.heart.org/en/about-us/heart-attack-and-stroke-symptoms
Murphy, D. R., Schneider, M. J., Perle, S. M., Bise, C. G., Timko, M., & Haas, M. (2016). Does case misclassification threaten the validity of studies investigating the relationship between neck manipulation and vertebral artery dissection stroke? No. Chiropractic & Manual Therapies, 24, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12998-016-0124-9