A 29-year-old U.K. woman died after seeking chiropractic treatments for what she felt was a 'crack in her neck' following a workout. Now, a coroner's report on her 2021 death is raising concerns over whether chiropractors should be required to review patients' medical histories before treatment.

Joanna Kowalczyk from Gateshead, England, felt a crack in her neck while using a piece of gym equipment and developed a severe headache. Kowalczyk initially consulted a hospital where a CT scan did not confirm a subarachnoid hemorrhage, but doctors recommended a lumbar puncture for further testing. However, she turned down treatment and got herself discharged before a diagnosis could be made.

Kowalczyk then went for chiropractic adjustments and underwent multiple sessions. During her fourth session, she developed alarming neurological symptoms such as dizziness and vomiting. A few days later, the symptoms worsened, and she started experiencing double vision, tingling in her limbs, and speech difficulty. These symptoms of stroke were initially dismissed by paramedics as migraine associated with the chiropractic treatment. Kowalczyk died from cerebella infarction and pneumonia on 19 October 2021.

Doctors now believe that Kowalczyk had initially sustained bilateral arterial dissections during the gym incident, which was further aggravated during the chiropractic manipulations. Kowalczyk had a history of migraines and joint hypermobility. She also had an undiagnosed connective tissue disorder, a condition that must have put her more vulnerable to this type of injury.

"Joanna Kowalczyk died due to a combination of the consequences of chiropractic treatment following a naturally occurring medical event, on a background of an undiagnosed medical condition," the recent coroner's report revealed.

In the report, Coroner Leila Benyounes emphasized a critical oversight: the chiropractor failed to request the patient's medical records before proceeding with assessment and treatment. Benyounes pointed out that this was particularly concerning since the patient had recently sought emergency medical care, underwent a CT scan, and was advised to stay for further testing but chose to discharge herself against medical advice.

"I am concerned that consideration to obtaining medical records should always be given before assessment, particularly where recent medical treatment or investigations have been undertaken," Coroner Benyounes wrote in the report, suggesting actions to be taken to prevent future deaths.

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