Deaths after chiropractic: a review of published cases
1Complementary Medicine, Peninsula Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK. Edzard.Ernst@pms.ac.uk
Objective:
The aim of this study was to summarise all cases in which chiropractic spinal manipulation was followed by death.
Design:
This study is a systematic review of case reports.
Methods:
Literature searches in four electronic databases with no restrictions of time or language.
Main Outcome Measure:
Death.
Results:
Twenty six fatalities were published in the medical literature and many more might have remained unpublished. The alleged pathology usually was a vascular accident involving the dissection of a vertebral artery.
Conclusion:
Numerous deaths have occurred after chiropractic manipulations. The risks of this treatment by far outweigh its benefit.