Gymgoer, 29, died after chiropractor ‘cracked her neck’

A woman died after a chiropractor failed to check her medical records which showed she had underlying connective tissue issues.

A young woman who felt a “crack to her neck” during a gym workout in 2021 died weeks later after going to a chiropractor to treat her neck pain, a recent inquest heard.

Joanna Kowalczyk, 29, from Gateshead, a town in Newcastle, England, turned down a procedure at a hospital and instead pursued alternative treatments to help her injury.

Ms Kowalczyk is believed to have suffered an arterial dissection – a tear in the lining of an artery – after injuring her neck during a personal training session at a gym in September 2021.

She had an underlying connective tissue disorder that made her more vulnerable to this kind of injury, according to The Times.

She also regularly suffered from migraines and had joint hypermobility issues – all of which were noted in her medical history.

However, her chiropractor didn’t check her records, and the woman suffered acute dissections in the same location after her neck was adjusted, which led to her death.

A woman died after a chiropractor failed to check her medical records before adjusting her neck. Picture: iStock

Leila Benyounes, assistant coroner for Gateshead and South Tyneside, ruled that Ms Kowalczyk died due to the repercussions of “chiropractic treatment following a naturally occurring medical event.”

Last week, she published her findings, calling on the General Chiropractic Council to establish rules encouraging chiropractors to check a patient’s medical history before treating them.

Gymgoer discharges herself from hospital, seeks chiropractor

Ms Kowalczyk had initially visited the emergency department after hearing the crack in her neck.

She had a CT scan and was advised she should undergo a lumbar puncture, a test used to rule out the possibility of a haemorrhage.

Instead, she “self-discharged” from the hospital and went to a chiropractor to treat the pain.

Ms Kowalczyk informed the chiropractor that she had already been to the hospital and had undergone a scan, but he didn’t try and obtain any medical or hospital records.

Kowalczyk then underwent four “adjustments and manipulation” treatments between September and October, as per reports from Daily Mail.

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Double vision and vomiting after neck adjustment

During a session on October 16 where she underwent a “left adjustment to the neck”, Ms Kowalczyk started to experience “immediate symptoms of dizziness and room spinning.”

She later developed double vision, a tingling in her right hand and right foot and vomited.

Chiropractors advised her to go to the hospital, but she didn’t want to and chose to stay in the clinic, where she rested for a few hours.

Later that day, she was eventually treated by paramedics after experiencing speech difficulty, which is associated with a stroke.

They diagnosed her with a migraine after hearing that “symptoms of dizziness and migraine were normal after the chiropractic treatment”.

The inquest revealed that the medical professional was unaware that stroke symptoms could stop after a short period of time.

They said they would have taken her to hospital that day had she been unable to move unaided.

The following day, Ms Kowalczyk felt “gravely unwell” and had a reduced level of consciousness and paramedics were called again.

She deteriorated in the ambulance and required ventilation and intubation.

Hospital scans showed dead brain tissue and a tear in the wall of one of the neck’s blood vessels.

She died two days later, on October 19.

She developed double vision, tingling in her hand and foot and vomited after one adjustment. Picture: iStock

‘Obtaining medical records should always be given’

The coroner, Ms Benyounes said: “The evidence on behalf of the treating chiropractor was that he did not consider it necessary to request GP records or hospital records, before assessment or treatment despite being informed about the Deceased’s recent hospital attendance, investigation which was recommended, and her discharge against medical advice.

“Even in the updated consent form I have been provided with, which was designed by the British Chiropractic Association, there is no prompt or question designed for the chiropractor to ask to consider obtaining medical records before assessment or treatment, and when this may be appropriate.

“The only reference to medical records is a consent to communicate as deemed necessary for the treatment, and for a report to be sent to the GP after treatment.

“I am concerned that consideration to obtaining medical records should always be given before assessment, particularly where recent medical treatment or investigations has been undertaken.”

Originally published as Gymgoer, 29, died after chiropractor ‘cracked her neck’