Back/leg problems from chiropractor

What is the name of your state? Pennsylvania

Quick version of what happened to me and if I have a case for anything....

I was having lower back pain off and on for about two years, nothing serious just annoying. A couple of months ago I decided to go to a chiropractor to see if he could remedy my back. I went a total of four times...He had stated that my pelvis was out of place and he worked it back in. After each visit I started to get right leg pain and right foot numbness. I told this to the chiropractor each time after treatment that it was getting worse. He stated that it was a good sign because it meant we were "moving stuff around". After the forth visit I couldn't walk, sit, move or anything because my leg pain was so bad! All I could do was lay flat on my back on a hard surface. I was in severe pain for two weeks. During that time, I went to my doctor and he scheduled an MRI of my lower back...turns out I have severe spinal stenosis and a missing lower vertabrae (L5). I also saw a neurosurgeon (recommended by my doctor) who said I would need surgery or live with my daily leg pain/foot numbness and just learn to live with it. I am now on pain killers and muscle relactants but every day I have pain now. Is there anything I can do for chiropractic malpractice? I have never had any leg pain or numbess until after the chiroporactic visits but now it is a daily occurance. Both doctors (beside the chiropractor) stated that there is no way of telling when this "injury" occured...however my neurosurgeon stated not to have any spinal manipulation at all.... Any help would be much appreciated!

jrsarch
It is possible that you a meritorious claim of malpractice. The obstacles that you have to overcome are whether or not as a direct result of the negligent acts of the chiropractor you suffered significant damages that you otherwise would not have suffered and whether or not the damages will translate into an award sufficient to justify the lawsuit.

I think there is a chance that you may be able to prove your claim; I don't know if there is a chance that the damages will justify the expense of a lawsuit.

You did not state your age or the level of your activities during the two years of on & off back pain; however, you had no indication of needing surgery prior to the treatments and you obviously had no reason to have your back examined by x-ray or by a specialist as you had no idea you had a congenitally missing vertebra. Certainly, you were not anticipating neuro/ortho surgery and certainly, you had no neurological deficit.

Consult with a medmal attorney in your area at your earliest convenience. Chiropractors can be sued for medmal as they are healthcare professionals.

Best wishes,
EC

Thanks

Thanks for the reply...just FYI I am 28 years old and really am not that active...I am fit and in good health but I really dont strain myself to cause this type of damage. I do play volleyball off and on but not in the last year or so. My main reason for my post was that I NEVER had any leg pain or numbess in my right leg/foot until after the visits with the chiropractor...Now not only do I have a sore lower back but now I also have a painful cramping leg and a numb foot 75% of the time (all of which started after the first chirpractic visit).

You are never going to be able to attribute the injury to the manipulation by the chiropractor. He did not cause the spinal stenosis and both of your doctors say there is now way of telling when injury happened. You need proof the Dr. of C. caused it.
Spinal stenosis causes neurological pain that is extremely difficult to control. If your back isn't too bad you may get relief from surgery. I would definitely consult an Interventional Radiologist and perhaps an injection of medical grade glue between the vertebrae may help. Otherwise, you just take your Vicodin or Percocet and learn to live with it.
Exercise and try to strengthen the muscles in your back. Being a couch potato is not good for you.

What is it with you people and chiro-quacks?

They are NOT real physicians. Their existence is a testament to the power of scientific ignorance and political clout to overwhelm common sense and they are one of the biggest frauds ever perpetrated on the public.

That chiropractors are given a license to practice does not excuse you from making intelligent decisions about your health. If you go to an obvious quack, you deserve whatever you get.

What the hell. Sue the chiropractor. You know, of course, that he will have no problem lining up "expert" chiropractors who will say his treatment was "chiropractically perfect". Tough noodles for you.

Joey, darlin', it's time for you to go to bed and get some rest.
EC

Obviously joe blow... if all "chiropractors are quacks" then it would be quite difficult for them to "line up expert chiropractors"...I had an MRI...maybe you need a brain scan! Anyways, I do appreciate the intelligent responses from others. I am not one to go after suing people, I have never done that before, but if there is negligence that will leave me with pain the rest of my life, you better believe I will make sure one pays for their mistakes. It is more the idea of stopping this chiropractor from damaging others.

jrsarch Obviously joe blow... if all "chiropractors are quacks" then it would be quite difficult for them to "line up expert chiropractors"

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Exactly why I put "expert" in quotes next to a winky.

When you chose to go to a chiropractor, you put yourself on their turf. Your treatment is subject to the standards of care for chiropractors, not the standards of real physicians. In the La La Land of chiro, they are all "experts" on treatment of back pain. I'm sure there will be no shortage of testimony that twisting your lumbar vertebrae into a curly-Q to "reduce the subluxation" was exactly the right thing to do, chiropractically speaking.

...if there is negligence that will leave me with pain the rest of my life, you better believe I will make sure one pays for their mistakes. It is more the idea of stopping this chiropractor from damaging others.

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The entire field of chiropractic is bogus. It is a legally sanctioned form of intrinsically negligent treatment. Stopping this chiropractor would mean stopping chiropractic, which will not happen. But, hey, go for it. Maybe you can plant a seed that shuts down the "profession". I wouldn't hold my breath, though.

Chiropractors aren't real physicians, huh?

Well, pal, maybe you should research before you open your mouth about something you know nothing about. I am a Chiropractor, and in most states we are known as Chiropractic Physicians. I spent the better part of 9 years in under-grad school and Chiropractic College to become what you refer to as a "quack". My education took hundreds more hours than the education of a Medical Doctor takes. Chiropractic focuses on the spinal column and its relation to the CNS....for non-quacks like yourself, that's short for Central Nervous System. If a nerve is pinched by the vertebrae it runs between, whatever that nerve goes to is going to malfunction sooner or later. Chiropractors simply remove the osseous interference to allow the nerve uninterrupted flow so the tissues it innervates can function at their optimum capacity. Simply stated, we don't cure the body of dis-ease or disease, we simply give the body the ability to function at its optimal capacity. NO doctor can claim to have the ability to cure human ailments. The body does the curing. Enuff said

So, you are very misinformed, or you are in a profession that is contradictory to the Chiropractic profession. The realignment of bones dates back to ancient Egypt, and has been a growing profession since the early 1900's. Chiropractic works. My son has been under care since he was one year old, and has not even had a common cold in over 6 years. Do you have an answer for that?

Don't Sue the Chiropractor

To the gentleman with spinal stenosis. Your chiropractor did not cause your condition. It is true that once Chiropractic care has been initialized, pain can move around to different regions associated with the initial area of complaint. Sometimes pain may get worse or not change at all for several weeks. The pain in the legs is sign of change, and is quite normal. Where your DC went wrong was failing to properly educate you prior to adjusting you. You thought you were going to get immmediately better, and he did not tell you that you may in fact get a little worse before you get better. Knowing that you have spinal stenosis could call for a different technique than he was using. You may even want to see a different Chiropractor, possibly one that performs Flexion-Distraction. I think that you have been wrongly informed about suing this DC. Take care and I hope you get better. Don't give up on Chiropractic.....it is a great thing.

Joeyblow? You are the coolest

It is unfortunate that you don't know how stupid you sound. You are obviously exactly what your screen name depicts....a blow hard. I am very curious what your profession is, and what makes you think you are qualified to tell people what Chiropractic is and what it does. Chiropractic is a Science, Art and Philosophy, three things that you seemingly know nothing about. It is natural approach to health care, and if it is a joke as you say, then please enlighten us as to why there are now Veternarian-Chiropractors. Are they quacks, too? I will admit that there are bad apples in the Chiropractic profession....as there are in ALL professions, including your's. You obviously are a part time A**HOLE, but you are a bad apple in that profession. You could conduct yourself with some self-respect and professionalism among the other members of your profession. It is very unprofessional to bash other professions, especially ones that you know nothing about. Now, this is just a guess, but I think I am pretty close. Judging by your hostility towards Chiropractic, I would have to guess that you are either a DO or a physical therapist. If I am correct, you will react with even greater hostility to what I have said. So, in closing, why don't you stop degrading things that you are uneducated about, and stick to your own expertise. Have a blessed day, JOEYBLOW.