Introduction
The proposition that chiropractic adjustments result in stroke when applied improperly has received widespread audience due to the existence of mixed results from researches. This association of chiropractic adjustments with stroke is therefore misguided. A stroke results when the vertebral artery is blocked, or breaks and thus disrupting the normal blood follow to the brain (1). Some of the cases that led to this conclusion may have involved patients who come to chiropractors with symptoms of stroke or an impending stroke. Upon receiving chiropractic care, a stroke that is inappropriately attributed to an improperly applied chiropractic adjustment follows that would have occurred with or without a visit to a chiropractor. This, as evidenced below, is very subjective and absurd (2).
Body
In a biomechanical study that simulated the movements of the cervical manipulations as experienced in a chiropractic exercise, it was found that although the amount of strain on the vertebral artery varied with the direction of movement, mechanical failure did not occur until average strains of between 139%-162% greater than at rest were achieved (1). Compared to the average strain of about 6.2% that occurs during a chiropractic adjustment, it is highly unlikely that such strain would tear or even cause physical disrupt a normal vertebral artery even when improperly applied. In a chiropractic adjustment where a chiropractor is involved, the chance of reaching the potentially damaging range of the strains is minimal.
Conclusion
In a situation where a patient with stroke symptoms that may resemble those attended to by chiropractors, a reference to an improperly applied chiropractic adjustments would be misplaced (3). Similarly, affecting a strain that by far exceeds the outliers in the range of those exerted on the vertebral artery during a chiropractic adjustment is arguably not a chiropractic care.
Summation
Wrong classifications of some stroke cases that follow a chiropractic adjustment imply that the latter may not be a cause of stroke at all. This is cemented by the fact that there is a very small chance that the strain imposed on the vertebral artery during the practice can lead to stroke. The proposition is therefore not true.
References
1. Murphy D. Current Understanding of the Relationship between Cervical Manipulation and
Stroke: What does it mean for the chiropractic profession? Chiropractic and Osteopathy Journal 2010 August: 18(22) Available from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2922298/?tool=pubmed
2. Ernst E. Chiropractic: A Critical Evaluation. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management 2008
May: 35(5): 544-562 Available from http://ac.els-cdn.com/S088539240700783X/1-s2.0-S088539240700783X-main.pdf?_tid=62462262-76e1-11e2-8876-00000aacb360&acdnat=1360872296_c6d744651c629c8b01ab97993cafa685
3. Rothwell, D. Bondy S. Williams I. Chiropractic Manipulation and Stroke: A Population-Based
