Study: DCs should get informed consent prior to cervical spine manipulation

How important is informed consent when you’re giving a patient cervical spine manipulation? Very important, according to recent research.

“Informed Consent Regarding Risk of Stroke from Cervical Spine Manipulation: A Narrative Review,”recently published in the Journal of the International Academy of Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine, discusses the importance of informed consent due to the risk of stroke from this type of chiropractic adjustment.

This narrative review of the literature found eight peer-reviewed studies which support such informed consent, and no studies arguing against it. While post-manipulation strokes are rare, the study concludes that such informed consent is supported as the standard of care for the chiropractic profession.

The study’s authors are James J. Lehman, DC, DIANM, Director of Health Sciences Postgraduate Education Department at the University of Bridgeport, and medicolegal expert witness Steven Brown, DC, DIAMA.

Click here to download the complete text of the study in pdf format.