Position: Negative
Introduction
Even if the chiropractor improperly manipulates the body during treatment, it is highly unlikely that the patient would suffer stroke as a result. Instead, after considerable research that involves case-control studies and biomechanical studies, it has been concluded that patients who suffer from stroke after a visit to a chiropractor already had the arterial damage that led to the stroke. The connection between the chiropractor and the incidence of stroke had to do with the fact that the patients were seeking a remedy for their pain (Murphy, 2010). The chiropractor applied a treatment, but even with the manipulation that went along with the treatment, the damage was already in place. The manipulation therefore was not the cause for the stroke.
Body
The erroneous connection between improper chiropractic technique and stroke also has a lot to do with poor communication between the chiropractic profession and the rest of the medical community at large. The chiropractic profession has not historically assembled a track record of consistent involvement with public health issues; for example, the Chiropractic Health Section is disproportionately low in membership within the American Public Health Association, compared to the ratio between the number of chiropractors practicing and the total number of medical professionals. Taking an approach that is more mindful of public health could do a great deal to bridge the gap between chiropractors and the rest of the medical community, lessening the degree of suspicion that made this erroneous assumption easier to believe.
Conclusion
Another reason for this erroneous connection between improper chiropractic technique and stroke has to do with a general lack of information throughout the medical community. Specifically, there are still many neurological professionals who believe that patients who suffer from stroke may be the victims of poor chiropractic technique. A recommendation to prevent this misconception from going forward would be to educate medical professionals in the general practice, neurologic and chiropractic areas that there are some symptoms associated with stroke that can lead patients to consult a chiropractor for treatment (Ernst, 2007). With this knowledge, chiropractors could do a more effective job of screening patients as stroke risks and recommending a treatment more appropriate to their condition.
Summation
In general, there are some positive changes that must happen within the medical community so that the notion that improper chiropractic technique can cause stroke. The members of the chiropractic community should participate more in the public health system so that they are perceived as being more as part of the medical community. This erroneous view of the cause of stroke has come about as a misinterpretation of the cause and effect relationship of stroke incidence.
Works Cited
Ernst E. Spinal manipulation: are the benefits worth the risks? Expert Reviews in Neurotherapy 2007;7(11); 1451-2.
Murphy D. Current understanding of the relationship between cervical manipulation and stroke: what does it mean for the chiropractic profession? Chiropractic & Osteopathy; 2010; 18(22). http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1746-1340-18-22.pdf, 2010.
