A session with a chiropractor ended in tragedy (4 photos)

Joanna Kowalczyk, 29, from Gateshead, UK, sustained a neck injury while exercising. The woman began to suffer from headaches, but she turned to alternative treatments.





The medical history indicates that the woman suffered from migraines and joint hypermobility. In addition, she had an undiagnosed connective tissue disorder, which leads to ruptures of the vascular walls.



Kovalchik was recommended to undergo a medical procedure called a lumbar puncture, also known as a spinal tap, to rule out the possibility of a hemorrhage, but the patient left the hospital of her own free will and sought help from a chiropractor.





The specialist did not know her medical history and began manual manipulation, trying to relieve the pain.

It is assumed that Kowalczyk had an artery dissection when she injured her neck in the gym, and the procedure at the chiropractor led to a second injury. The woman underwent a total of four sessions. She complained of dizziness, double vision, tingling in her right arm and right leg, she had difficulty speaking, and she even felt nauseous. The chiropractor advised Joanna to go to the hospital, but she refused until she suffered a stroke.



Her condition worsened in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, requiring artificial ventilation. The woman died on October 19, 2021.

Forensic pathologist Leila Benyounes noted: “The chiropractor did not consider it necessary to request the doctor’s notes or the hospital card before examining and treating her, despite being informed of the patient’s recent hospitalization, recommended examination, and unauthorized discharge. Even in the updated consent form that the British Chiropractic Association provided me with, there is no mention of a chiropractor having to request a medical certificate before examining or treating me."

It is not yet known whether the chiropractor will be prosecuted.