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C B C . C A N e w s - F
u l l S t o r y :
Chiropractic adjustments can cause strokes: neurologists Last Updated Thu Feb 7 12:56:21 2002 HALIFAX--
A procedure commonly performed by chiropractors
could be causing dozens of Canadians to have strokes every year,
neurologists warn.
Chiropractic manipulation is safely done millions of times a
year in Canada to treat back and neck pain and other ailments.
But more than 60 neurologists have signed a letter warning the
treatment can lead to strokes. They say if the neck is rotated
improperly, a blood vessel can tear, causing a clot to form.
Neurologists suspect the sudden jerking could be a leading cause
of stroke in people under age 45 but many cases of stroke are
slipping through unnoticed.
The neurologists issued their warning to doctors, patients and
coroners performing autopsies. They want people to know the symptoms
of strokes caused by neck manipulations.
In 1999, an unpublished study by the Canadian Stroke Consortium
concluded 21 out of 50 cases of stroke were due to neck manipulation.
Their results were based on figures from the Heart and Stroke
Foundation.
"Someone essentially has to step up and say, 'Look these risks
that we see are very real,'" said the study's researcher, neurologist
Dr. Brad Stewart. "They are not as infrequent as the chiropractic
community would make them out to be."
Some chiropractors say the risk of stroke from neck manipulation
is as low as the risk from playing golf or cradling a phone.
About 10 per cent of Canadians visit chiropractors.
"One to two incidents per million neck adjustments, so it's
a very rare occurrence," said Dr. Stanley Gorchynski of the Canadian
Chiropractic Association.
Gorchynski thinks the stroke consortium's research methodology
is unclear and said their results have never been peer-reviewed.
The results will be presented at the American Stroke Association's
conference on Friday.
Written by CBC News Online staff
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