Posted on 04/23/2004 9:39:08 PM PDT by ijcr
http://www.jcca-online.org/client/cca/JCCA.nsf/objects/Issue+46_3/$file/Pages134-136.pdf
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-05/aca-ns051203.php
http://www.amerchiro.org/pdf/chiro-risks.pdf
i would wager that most here at FR are frequently "bristled" when constantly bombarded with the nattering slant....republicans are mean-spirited, doncha know
Even the most conservative conventional treatment for neck and back pain - - prescription non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) -- are hundreds of times more likely to cause a serious reaction than the drug-free chiropractic approach to these conditions. Less conservative treatments such as neck surgery are also used for some conditions similar to those chiropractors treat with spinal adjustments. There is a 3 to 4 percent rate of complication for cervical spine surgery, and 4,000-10,000 deaths per million. These risk rates are thousands of times greater than the most extreme estimates of risks from spinal adjustments.
chiros are the conservatives of the health-care field...."quacks" doncha know....(btw, it's the vertebral artery most implicated)
Canadian Medical Assn Journal
November 12, 2002
v.167(10) N 12'02 pg 1104
Telephone stroke
Parmar, Malvinder S
During head rotation, neck hyperextension and other provocative manoeuvres of the neck, the vertebral artery may be compressed at various sites along its course.(f.#1) A 63-year-old man with a history of type 2 diabetes, hypertension and ischemic heart disease presented with symptoms of slurred speech, unsteadiness and left-side weakness immediately after a 56-minute telephone conversation. Physical examination revealed left facial droop with mild weakness of the left arm and hand grip of 4/5. Electrocardiography showed sinus rhythm. CT of the head (Fig. 2) showed calcification of the right vertebral artery and a small right pontine infarct. Duplex Doppler ultra-sonography showed small atherosclerotic plaques at the distal common carotid arteries. The echocardiogram was normal.
Ischemia and infarction of the brain stem can occur if an abnormal posture of the neck is sustained for more than 10 minutes.(f.#2) These problems have been reported after chiropractic neck manipulation,(f.#3) protracted dental work, intubation, perimetry and x-ray positioning(f.#2) and have been described in ''beauty parlour stroke syndrome.''(f.#4) Given the temporal relation between the prolonged telephone conversation and the stroke, and exclusion of other causes, this man's right pontine infarct was probably the result of compression of the ipsilateral vertebral artery during the phone call. He had kept his neck bent to the right side throughout the conversation, which caused compression of the already calcified right vertebral artery and resulted in stroke.
This case illustrates another situation in which a person may unconsciously keep the neck in an abnormal position that could cause compression or occlusion of the vertebral circulation. Anyone who talks on the telephone for prolonged periods, especially elderly people, should consider changing sides frequently or using a hands-free telephone to avoid sustained provocative neck positions.
Malvinder S. Parmar
Medical Director, Medical Program
Timmins and District Hospital
Timmins, Ont.
(f.#1) Grossman RI, Davis KR. Positional occlusion of the vertebral artery: a rare cause of embolic stroke. Neuroradiology 1982;23:227-30.
(f.#2) Fogelholm R, Karli P. ''Iatrogenic'' brainstem infarction: a complication of x-ray examination of the cervical spine and following posterior tamponation of the nose. Eur Neurol 1975;13:6-12.
(f.#3) Krueger BR, Okazaki H. Vertebrobasilar distribution infarction following chiropractic cervical manipulation. Mayo Clin Proc 1980;55:322-32.
(f.#4) Weintraub MI. Beauty parlor stroke syndrome: report of five cases. JAMA 1993;269:2085-6.
Me, too. I stood there as they lowered her casket, tossed in a rose, and hated that she wasn't there to help me get through that most difficult day.
The reunion will be sweet.
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