Informed Consent
Did You Really Give Informed Consent Before Your Stroke Induced by Chiropractic Upper Cervical Manipulation?
If you suffered a stroke within 30 days of your chiropractic upper cervical manipulation, you, your doctor and your attorney may have good reason to suspect a correlation of those two events. When questioned, your chiropractor may claim to have warned you of potential risks, and may therefore claim that you gave informed consent to receive a risk-laden procedure with the potential to damage your artery leading to the brain from your neck.
When is a Warning Not a Warning?
What's the problem with that? Different states have different rules regarding the requirements of informed consent documents. Many stroke victims who had recently received chiropractic treatment state that their chiropractors in fact minimized the risk, saying that the statistical probability of a stroke was very low in each case. "Don’t worry about it; it will never happen to you," is the implied or stated message that they recall.
Are Risks Clearly Explained?
Before agreeing to chiropractic treatments, including high-velocity manipulation of the upper cervix, it is advisable to notice whether you are asked to give genuine informed consent. That should mean that the risks are clearly explained.
Many chiropractors, however, doubt the existence of a correlation between upper cervical manipulation and strokes. With this attitude, they are not likely to explain the risk to patients.
We of Chiropractic Stroke Awareness Organization question why, without a clear risk-benefit analysis and without genuine informed consent, any chiropractor would administer a treatment for which there is no scientific proof of its benefits and complete awareness of the possible life-threatening risk of stroke?
Chiropractic Stroke Awareness Organization is a non-profit. We are dedicated to understanding, evaluating and researching the risks of stroke induced by chiropractic upper cervical manipulation.
We welcome the participation of chiropractors, doctors, lawyers and other interested professionals, including physical therapists and psychological counselors.
