ICA Raises Alarm on Misrepresentation of Profession in Case Study on ‘Self-Chiropractic Adjustment’

ICA Raises Alarm on Misrepresentation of Profession in Case Study on ‘Self-Chiropractic Adjustment’

False affiliation to chiropractic pollutes peer-reviewed literature with misinformation and fails to call attention to the true risk — untrained individuals attempting neck adjustments. 

The leaders of the International Chiropractors Association (ICA) have reviewed the case report published in the American Journal of Forensic Medical Pathology in February.1 They are issuing a statement to correct the misinformation provided in the report. 

The authors detailed the tragedy of a 43-year-old woman with hypertension, headaches, and a history of anxiety attempting to relieve her headache by lying on a flight of steps with her neck on the top step and trying to “crack her neck.” The ICA is not questioning whether the woman suffered a fatal vertebral artery dissection; the organization is seeking an official correction to the paper since the actions were performed by the individual are not by a doctor of chiropractic. There is no representation within the chiropractic profession that a layperson can safely adjust their own spine, especially the upper cervical region. Such attempts, as displayed with this tragedy, have the potential for significant risks. 

The ICA would like to point out the lost opportunity by the article’s authors — none of whom are doctors of chiropractic — to educate the public and healthcare profession. They should have noted the importance of visiting licensed doctors of chiropractic who graduated from an accredited college of chiropractic. The authors should have further explained that a doctor of chiropractic’s extensive training includes identification and correction of vertebral subluxations through chiropractic adjustment and the importance of the evaluation process to include appropriate radiographic imaging. 

Instead, the ICA concludes that two doctors of medicine and a medical examiner jumped on the opportunity to paint a negative picture of chiropractic in their case report, even though no chiropractor was involved in the care of the patient. Without the engagement of a doctor of chiropractic, there is no chiropractic link to this tragedy. The authors also wasted the opportunity to explore whether this patient was unable to access actual chiropractic care because of financial constraints, insurance that did not provide equitable coverage of chiropractic, or a medical interaction in which chiropractic was discouraged due to a bias. 

ICA President Dr. Selina Sigafoose Jackson stated, “The ICA will not remain silent when such misinformation is represented in the healthcare literature. There is no such thing as ‘self-chiropractic adjustment.’ When chiropractic care is provided by an experienced, properly trained, licensed chiropractor whose focus is the identification and correction of the subluxation, it continues to be safe and effective and one of the lowest adverse event courses of care. The ICA has submitted a letter to the editor addressing our concerns.” 

The ICA’s Council on Upper Cervical Care is hosting the Upper Cervical Forum 2024: Connecting to the Brain in Orlando, Florida, June 14-15, 2024. To learn more and register, go to https://icaevents.org/forum2024/. This event offers an integrated education for doctors of chiropractic in the scientific knowledge of the upper cervical spine from premier experts, including Dr. Frank Scali, Dr. Jeffrey Scholten, Dr. Scott Rosa, and Dr. Jonathan Chung. 

References

1. Fink C, Bryce CH, Knight LD. Self-chiropractic cervical spinal manipulation resulting in fatal vertebral artery dissection: a case report and review of the literature. Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 2024 Feb 1. doi: 10.1097/PAF.0000000000000912. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38300708.