This case report describes a 32-year-old woman with no prior health issues or stroke risk factors who experienced two separate strokes two weeks apart, the first following a chiropractic visit and the second after a beauty salon visit, in a presentation unusual enough to warrant formal publication.
What was studied?
Clinicians documented the case of a healthy 32-year-old woman who suffered a cerebellar stroke caused by a tear in her left vertebral artery, then a second stroke two weeks later.
What did they find?
The first stroke followed a chiropractic visit; the second followed hair washing involving prolonged neck extension, a recognised though rare mechanism for vertebral artery injury. She was treated with blood-thinning and cholesterol medication and recovered. This type of injury is usually reported in older patients, making a healthy 32-year-old unusual.
Why it matters
This is exactly the kind of honest safety case that belongs in an evidence library: a genuine, documented instance where neck manipulation may have contributed to a serious vascular event.
Why we included it
It illustrates why safety evidence should include rare adverse cases, not just favourable outcomes, so risk assessment before a treatment is grounded in reality rather than treated as risk-free.
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What was studied?
Clinicians documented the case of a healthy 32-year-old woman who suffered a cerebellar stroke caused by a tear in her left vertebral artery, then a second stroke two weeks later.
What did they find?
The first stroke followed a chiropractic visit; the second followed hair washing involving prolonged neck extension, a recognised though rare mechanism for vertebral artery injury. She was treated with blood-thinning and cholesterol medication and recovered. This type of injury is usually reported in older patients, making a healthy 32-year-old unusual.
Why it matters
This is exactly the kind of honest safety case that belongs in an evidence library: a genuine, documented instance where neck manipulation may have contributed to a serious vascular event.
Why we included it
It illustrates why safety evidence should include rare adverse cases, not just favourable outcomes, so risk assessment before a treatment is grounded in reality rather than treated as risk-free.