While chiropractic medicine has benefitted many people, cervical adjustments can sometimes cause severe injuries, such as tearing of neck arteries, strokes, or even paralysis. Spinal manipulation of the mid and lower back can also cause debilitating injuries, including bone-weakening disease, disc herniation, muscle weakness, and bladder and bowel paralysis.
Huntsville Chiropractic Malpractice Cases According to the American Chiropractic Association
About 20 million people visit chiropractors in the U.S. each year, according to the American Chiropractic Association, seeking relief from a wide range of physical problems, including neck and back pain, ringing in the ears, headaches, and more. However, certain chiropractic techniques can seriously harm patients, including cervical neck manipulation.
The personal injury lawyers at Morris, King & Hodge, P.C., are ready to help if you or a loved one has been hurt from chiropractic treatments. Contact our medical malpractice lawyers today at 256-677-4376 or online to let us help you assess your legal rights.
Preparing for a chiropractic lawsuit – examples of chiropractic malpractice
If a chiropractor fails to meet the accepted standard of medical care, an injured patient may have a legal case to obtain compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Negligent manipulation and a failure to provide informed consent are two ways chiropractors can commit malpractice.
Negligent Manipulation
While some studies suggest that cervical manipulation can help lower blood pressure, ease lower back pain and reduce migraines, other research shows this technique can tear the vertebral or carotid arteries. When making an adjustment to a patient’s body, a chiropractor can either worsen an existing injury or cause a new injury. For example, a cervical manipulation sometimes involves a sudden and extreme rotation of a patient’s head in order to rotate the cervical spine. This form of treatment can damage neck arteries, potentially leading to a blood clot that travels to the brain and causes a debilitating or fatal stroke. A patient may not even be aware his or her stroke was associated with the chiropractic treatment because it did not occur until weeks after the visit.
Improper cervical manipulation can also cause paralysis, broken ribs, neurological damage, sciatic nerve pain, herniated discs, and more.
Failure to Provide Informed Consent
A chiropractor is required to inform a patient of all potential side effects and risks associated with treatment before providing medical services. If you were treated without first receiving this explanation and then injured, you may be able to sue the chiropractor for professional negligence (malpractice).
Personal injury chiropractic victim? Obtaining Compensation in a Chiropractic Lawsuit
A skilled personal injury attorney can help you obtain compensation for injuries suffered due to negligent treatments by a chiropractor. The law allows personal injury chiropractic victims to obtain damages for injuries caused by negligence, including current and future medical expenses, lost past and future wages, and emotional and physical pain and suffering. In rare chiropractic malpractice cases, the law permits punitive damages, which are intended to discourage egregious professional misconduct.
Proving chiropractic malpractice can be complicated. It requires expert testimony and other evidence that a chiropractor failed to meet the accepted legal standard of care. A legal case also requires evidence that the professional negligence caused the specific injuries in question. An experienced malpractice personal injury law firm can help build a strong case, and do all that’s necessary for dealing aggressively with the chiropractic malpractice insurance company. Our insurance dispute lawyer Huntsville will do whatever it takes to get the most out of it.
Contact Our Chiropractic Malpractice Attorney For a Free Case Review
The experienced personal injury attorneys at Morris, King & Hodge, P.C., are here to help if chiropractic negligence has resulted in an injury to you or a loved one. Give us a call at (256) 677-4376 or contact us online to schedule a free case review. You won’t pay any legal fees until we obtain compensation on your behalf. You owe it to yourself to explore your potential legal rights.
