{"id":46755,"date":"2025-06-13T07:03:04","date_gmt":"2025-06-13T11:03:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.chiropractic.org\/?p=46755"},"modified":"2025-06-13T07:03:18","modified_gmt":"2025-06-13T11:03:18","slug":"ica-responds-to-sensationalized-media-coverage-chiropractors-deserve-truth-not-tabloid-tactics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chiropractic.org\/ica-responds-to-sensationalized-media-coverage-chiropractors-deserve-truth-not-tabloid-tactics\/","title":{"rendered":"ICA Responds to Sensationalized Media Coverage: \u201cChiropractors Deserve Truth, Not Tabloid Tactics\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Contact: chiro@chiropractic.org<\/strong>
June 10, 2025\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Tel:\u00a0 703-528-5000<\/strong>

Falls Church, VA<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 The International Chiropractors Association (ICA) is speaking out in response to\u00a0People Magazine<\/em>\u2019s June 5, 2025, article, titled\u00a0\u201cChiropractor Tears Woman\u2019s Artery While Cracking Her Neck.\u201d The story details the personal experience of Carissa Klundt, a Las Vegas mother who suffered a vertebral artery dissection \u00a0(VAD) weeks after receiving a neck adjustment from a substitute chiropractor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a tragic situation, but it\u2019s also a gross misrepresentation of the chiropractic profession,\u201d said Dr. Edwin Cordero, CEO of the ICA. \u201cIt\u2019s yet another example of sensational journalism that draws conclusions without evidence, science, or clinical context.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Pattern of Blame Without Clinical Facts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every time a vascular event occurs, and a chiropractor is even remotely involved in the patient\u2019s history, it becomes headline news regardless of timing, medical context, or alternative risk factors. In this case, the patient herself stated that her symptoms developed weeks after the adjustment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf a traumatic arterial dissection truly occurred at the moment of care, we\u2019d expect immediate neurological symptoms like severe headache, nausea, or difficulty walking,\u201d Dr. Cordero noted. \u201cDelayed symptom onset matters. That\u2019s clinical evidence being ignored.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research Clearly Refutes a Causal Link<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best available research supports what principled chiropractors have long known: there is no causal relationship between cervical chiropractic adjustments and vertebral artery dissection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A major population-based study by Cassidy et al. (2008), <\/strong>published in Spine, examined all vertebrobasilar strokes in Ontario over nine years and found no<\/strong> increased risk of stroke associated with chiropractic care compared to medical care. Patients experiencing early dissection symptoms like neck pain or headache\u2014were just as likely to see a chiropractor as a medical doctor, showing that the stroke process had likely begun before any visit occurred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This conclusion is supported by the American Heart Association and multiple systematic reviews, including a 2016 meta-analysis published in Cureus<\/em> and a 2021 study in Chiropractic & Manual Therapies<\/em>. Together, these findings make it clear: correlation does not equal causation when it comes to chiropractic care and VAD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

References:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Cassidy JD, Boyle E, C\u00f4t\u00e9 P, He Y, Hogg-Johnson S, Silver FL, Bondy SJ. Risk of vertebrobasilar stroke and chiropractic care: results of a population-based case-control and case-crossover study.\u00a0Spine (Phila Pa 1976)<\/em>. 2008 Feb 15;33(4 Suppl):S176-83. doi: 10.1097\/BRS.0b013e3181644600. Erratum in:\u00a0Spine (Phila Pa 1976)<\/em>. 2010 Mar 1;35(5):595. PMID: 18204390.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Biller J, Sacco RL, Albuquerque FC, et al. (2014). Cervical Arterial Dissections and Association with Cervical Manipulative Therapy: A Statement for Healthcare Professionals from the American Heart Association\/American Stroke Association.\u00a0Stroke<\/em>, 45(10):3155\u20133174. DOI: 10.1161\/STR.0000000000000016<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Church EW, Sieg EP, Zalatimo OA, et al. (2016). Systematic review and meta-analysis of chiropractic care and cervical artery dissection: no evidence for causation.\u00a0Cureus<\/em>, 8(2):e498. DOI: 10.7759\/cureus.498<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Whedon JM, Mackenzie TA, Phillips RB, Lurie JD. (2021). Risk of cervical artery dissection after chiropractic spinal manipulation in Medicare B beneficiaries aged 65 to 99 years with neck pain.\u00a0Chiropractic & Manual Therapies<\/em>, 29:16. DOI: 10.1186\/s12998-021-00367-5<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Overlooked Clinical Red Flags<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    According to People Magazine, Klundt had previously undergone breast explant surgery and suffered from chronic muscular pain, key indicators that should have prompted a comprehensive clinical evaluation. Additionally, the provider performing the adjustment was a substitute chiropractor, not her usual doctor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cEvery chiropractor must take full responsibility for history-taking and red flag screening, regardless of whether the patient has been to the office before,\u201d Dr. Cordero emphasized. \u201cShared offices don\u2019t mean shared clinical insight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Post-COVID Vascular Risks Must Be Considered<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    While the article avoids broader physiological context, chiropractors must not. The literature now identifies a potential link between post-COVID exposure (including vaccination) and vascular inflammation, clotting disorders, and endothelial damage\u2014all factors that complicate case presentations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cWe\u2019re not saying COVID caused this injury,\u201d Dr. Cordero stated. \u201cWe\u2019re saying that failing to consider the full clinical picture including immune system history is negligent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Chiropractic Is Safe, Effective, and Trusted by Millions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Chiropractors deliver over 280 million patient visits annually in the U.S.\u2014that\u2019s more than 1 million visits per day with one of the lowest malpractice claim rates in healthcare. Serious adverse events remain exceedingly rare, with studies estimating a risk of 1\u20132 incidents per million cervical adjustments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cEvery day, chiropractors help millions live healthier lives without drugs or surgery,\u201d said<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Dr. Cordero. \u201cAnd yet when something goes wrong even with multiple unknowns the media zeroes in on chiropractic. Meanwhile, the 250,000+ deaths from medical errors each year barely get a mention.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What Chiropractors Must Do Now<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    To protect patients and themselves chiropractors must:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u2022      Treat every adjustment like it\u2019s the first<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u2022      Re-screen frequently for red flags and systemic symptoms<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u2022      Ask about surgeries, medications, and immune status<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u2022      Document thoroughly, including \u201cnormal\u201d findings<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u2022      Refer out when anything seems off<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cIf your notes don\u2019t reflect your thinking,\u201d said Dr. Cordero, \u201cthen legally, it\u2019s as if you didn\u2019t think at all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The ICA Will Keep Standing in the Gap<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The ICA will continue to defend principled chiropractic care, push back on media misinformation, and ensure our drug-free identity is protected.  We also promote evidence-informed clinical decision making and best practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cThis isn\u2019t just about one article\u2014it\u2019s about the future of our profession,\u201d said <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Dr. Cordero. \u201cAnd we\u2019re not backing down.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    To learn more about ICA advocacy and how to get involved, visit www.chiropractic.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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