Kathryn McGlynn - Case Study

Date of treatment November 1994

Age when treatment given

Chiropractic Neck Manipulation - Bilateral Dissection of vertebral Arteries

Following Chiropractic neck manipulations - my 3rd session, I went to see my GP as I felt weakness down my right side.

The GP who saw me recorded the fact of a "dense weakness down my right side" and then said "sleep on it"

I felt so bad that I went to Hospital and they diagnosed "Ischaemic Stroke at the base of my brain" as a result of Bilateral Artery Dissection.

During my recovery period I suffered two further setbacks, an artery tear and a Transient Ischaemic Attck (mini stroke)

Today in 2004, ten years after my injury, I feel "flakey" about how long my arteries can hold out and no doctor's can tell me what could happen.

I thought my treatment by the Chiropractor was a direct cause of my injury and I did persue legal recourse. However, I was unable to prove negligence to succeed. My legal advice did say that "causal link" could be established at law though.

On analysis of the Chiropractors treatment on me, he had carried out a test prior to manipulation (DeKlyns test) to establish if I was at any potential risk of vertebral artery disruption. Clearly the test did not alert him to stop manipulative treatment.

Kathryn McGlynn.

AVC Comment

A classic post treatment injury of upper cervical neck manipulation with the usual devastating results. This injury occured back in 1994, however, if you read the "NEWS" section of the AVC website you will see that in 2004, Chiropractors still refuse to accept any link of this type of treatment to stroke and serious side effects.

In fact the General Chiropractic Council would accept the findings of a properly carried out scientific study if it demonstrated a link, but, regrettably, they would not fund such a study to sort this issue out once and for all.