Chiropractic Malpractice

Injured due to chiropractor negligence? Let our lawyers represent you

With many Americans visiting chiropractors for treatment, it’s important to be aware of your legal rights if you sustain an injury. Sometimes chiropractic treatment goes wrong. One of the most common and severe chiropractic injuries is stroke as a result of a neck “adjustment,” or cervical manipulation. This is a devastating injury that can lead to permanent brain damage or death.

If you or a loved one sustained a stroke or any other type of chiropractic injury, you may be entitled to compensation for lost wages, medical expenses, pain and suffering, mental suffering and emotional distress and other types of damages related to your injury. A chiropractic injury lawyer in Tennessee may be able to assist you. Call (423) 464-7779 Meade Law Group today. Fighting for your rights!

Risks linked to chiropractor visits

Essentially, patients who visit chiropractors run the risk of suffering strokes following neck adjustments because the abrupt twisting of the neck during treatment can cause a tear in the inner layer of the vertebral artery. The arterial tear creates a blood clot. If the clot breaks free and is forced by the flow of the blood upward from the neck, it can block the flow of the blood to the brain, causing a stroke. This type of injury can even affect young and healthy chiropractic patients.

The signs of a stroke, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, include:

• Sudden numbness or weakness, especially on one side of the body;
• Sudden confusion or trouble speaking or understanding speech;
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes;
• Sudden trouble with walking, dizziness, or loss of balance or coordination;
• Sudden severe headache with no known cause.

Many chiropractic injuries go underreported

Many of these cases go underreported. That’s because a victim may not be able to connect the chiropractor appointment and the stroke. A victim may experience symptoms of the stroke days after the treatment. Furthermore, a victim who suffers brain damage because of the stroke may be unable to remember the visit to the chiropractor or effectively communicate to the family details about the chiropractic visit.

Unfortunately, many victims who suffered stroke because of the procedure were never informed by the chiropractor of the known risks associated with the neck adjustment. An informed patient may have decided not to undergo the procedure. In general, medical professionals must advise patients of known risks related to a procedure that carries a risk of injury or death. When chiropractors fail in their duty to inform patients about risks, they have committed chiropractic negligence, a form of medical malpractice.

Common types of chiropractor malpractice include:

• Failing to perform diagnostic tests, inadequate questioning, or failing to diagnose because not enough information was collected
• Failing to analyze the results of the test, which may include misdiagnosis or misinterpretation of symptoms
• Failure to warn of risks and disclose usefulness of procedures
• Negligent treatment or choice of treatment. For example, a chiropractor may be liable if the treatment aggravates an existing injury or if the chiropractor uses excessive force or continues treatment after a patient asks the chiropractor to stop.

How a chiropractic malpractice lawyer in Tennessee can help

At Meade Law Group, we are ready to put our resources and experience to work for you. For a free consultation, call (423) 464-7779. We may be able to assist in preparing a chiropractic malpractice lawsuit. Let an aggressive and determined injury attorney help you on your path to justice. Contact us today.