A gym visitor who had a serious headache after she had injured her neck during a training, died after a visit to a chiropractor, according to a judicial investigation.
Joanna Kowalczyk, 29, refused treatment in the hospital because of her injury and opted for chiropractic therapy instead after she had examined alternative treatments.
Her medical history showed that she regularly suffered from migraine and joint hypermobility problems.
She also had a non-diagnosed connective tissue disease that made her susceptible to arterial dissections, which are rare tears in the mucosa of an artery and can be life-threatening, according to the judicial investigation.
Mrs. Kowalczyk from Gateshead, Tyne and Wear visited a clinic and told the chiropractor that she had been fired from the hospital.
The chiropractor was not aware of her medical history and broke her neck to try to alleviate the pain.
It is believed that Mrs. Kowalczyk sustained an arterial dissection when she injured her neck in the gym, and that she received acute dissections at the same location when a chiropractor cracked her neck.
Now her coroner has expressed his concern about the fact that chiropractors no longer have to control the medical files of patients after the death of Mrs. Kowalczyk.
Joanna Kowalczyk opted for a chiropractic treatment instead of a hospital procedure. (file photo)
Corator Leila Benyounes called on the General Council for Chiropractic to introduce new rules for obtaining medical records.
Mrs. Kowalczyk died on October 19, 2021 in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead, a few days after her chiropractic treatment.
The judicial investigation showed that she had injured her neck during a PT session in September 2021.
The next day she visited the Emergency Department of a hospital, where it was recommended to undergo a medical procedure, a so -called lumbar puncture, also known as an spinal cord puncture.
The aim of the procedure was to exclude the possibility of bleeding, but Mrs. Kowalczyk discharged himself from the hospital, it was heard.
Chiropractors determined the cervical facet joint syndrome in her and she was advised to undergo 'adjustments and manipulation' that Mrs Kowalczyk agreed.
Mrs. Kowalczyk said her doctor knew she went to a chiropractor, who had not obtained any medical data before her treatment.
In the following weeks she underwent four chiropractic treatments in an unnamed clinic, it was heard.
Mrs. Kowalczyk died only a few days after her chiropractic treatment in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead
During a session on October 16, Mrs. Kowalczyk, after 'the left adjustment to the neck', began to experience 'immediate symptoms of dizziness and rooms'.
She claimed to have developed double vision, tingling in her right hand and right foot, she had difficulty speaking and even had to surrender.
She stayed in the clinic where she rested for a few hours.
The patient was advised by both chiropractors to seek medical help in the hospital, but she did not want to be present.
Later that day, paramedics treated Mrs. Kowalczyk after they started to get speech problems that were related to a stroke.
They diagnosed Mrs. Kowalczyk with migraine after they heard that the “symptoms of dizziness and migraine were normal after chiropractic treatment.”
The judicial investigation showed that the medical professional “was not aware that the symptoms of a stroke could disappear after a short time.”
The coroner said that if they had known that Mrs. Kowalczyk 'was unable to move without help', they would have taken her to the hospital that day.
The next day, however, Mrs. Kowalczyk became 'seriously unwell with a reduced consciousness' and paramedics were called again.
It was heard that she went back to the hospital in the ambulance and needed 'intubation and ventilation'.
Mrs. Kowalczyk died on October 19.
The coroner said: “Joanna Kowalczyk died as a result of a combination of the consequences of a chiropractic treatment after a naturally occurring medical event, against the background of a non-diagnosed medical condition.”
The coroner formally ruled on the death in the hospital, but in the light of her death issued a report on the prevention of future deaths on the North East Ambulance Service and the General Chiropractic Council.
Mrs. Benyounes said: 'The proof on behalf of the treating Chiropractor was that he did not consider it necessary to request general practitioner files or hospital files, before assessing whether treatment, despite being informed of the recent hospital visit of the deceased, the investigation was recommended and her resignation against medical advice.
'Even in the updated consent form that I received, that was designed by the British Chiropractic Association, there is no indication or question that the Chiropractor can ask to obtain medical files before assessing whether treatment, and when this can be appropriate.
'The only reference to medical records is a permission to communicate if this is deemed necessary for treatment, and to send a report to the doctor after the treatment.
“I am concerned that obtaining medical records should always be considered before the assessment, especially if recent medical treatments or investigations have been carried out.”
Mrs Benyounes also expressed her concern about the fact that the treating paramedic 'did not know' that the symptoms of a stroke 'can stop after a short time'.
The organizations have 56 days to respond to the comments of the coroner.
