Triage or Trauma? What the People Magazine “Chiropractor Tore My Artery” Story Gets Wrong—and What You Must Get Right
Chiropractors Need to Sharpen Their Risk Radar Before the Media Does It for Them
The People magazine headline was made for clicks:
“Chiropractor Tears Woman’s Artery While Cracking Her Neck.”
Another day, another media hit piece that sensationalizes a complex health event while skimming over facts, timelines, and clinical nuance. But instead of simply rolling our eyes at the latest scapegoating of chiropractic care, this case should be a wake-up call: it’s time to sharpen your triage protocols, tighten your documentation, and cover your professional liability bases—because the narrative will never favor you.
“If you don’t control the story with facts, they’ll write it for you in headlines.”
The Timeline Problem: Symptoms Didn’t Start Until Weeks Later
Delayed Onset = Weak Causation
The article features 41-year-old Carissa Klundt, who claims she suffered a vertebral artery dissection (VAD) caused by a neck adjustment. Her allegation? That a substitute chiropractor "cracked her neck" in November 2022, and that she immediately knew something was wrong.
Yet in her own words, her symptoms—including blacking out and visual disturbances—didn’t appear until weeks later.
If she truly experienced a traumatic arterial dissection at the time of the adjustment, she most likely would have shown clear neurological signs—headache, nausea, diplopia, gait instability—immediately, not weeks later. Her delayed symptom onset alone calls causation into question.
“Correlation does not equal causation—especially when symptoms show up a week later.”
The Risk Profile Was Already Elevated—And Should Have Triggered Caution
Red Flags in the Intake That May Have Been Missed
Klundt reportedly sought chiropractic care after a major surgical event: breast explant surgery, which she believed made her “sick.” That’s an important psychological clue. When a patient is already blaming one set of healthcare providers for unexplained symptoms or systemic illness, your radar should go up immediately.
Questions to ask in this case:
Was she properly triaged and reevaluated before the neck adjustment?
Was a recent full history taken—including prescription use, hormone therapies, and COVID vaccination status (given the spike protein’s known vascular effects)?
Was she flagged as a potential non-organic or somatization risk case?
Was her perception of harm influenced by post-surgical anxiety, secondary gain, or a search for validation?
These are all critical clinical considerations, not accusations. But you can’t consider what you didn’t ask.
“Patients with complex histories need clarity, not assumptions.”
Substitute Adjuster = Higher Liability Exposure
Every Patient Is a New Patient If You Haven’t Seen Them Before
In Klundt’s case, a substitute chiropractor stepped in for the fourth visit. She had been seen previously by another provider in the office. This alone is a red flag.
If you’re adjusting a patient you haven’t previously evaluated, do not assume your colleague did everything right. Until you’ve reviewed the file, confirmed history, performed your own screening, and asked the right triage questions, treat them as a new patient—because that’s what they are to you in the eyes of the law.
“Shared offices mean shared liability—but personal responsibility.”
The mRNA & COVID Question: A Risk We’re Not Allowed to Talk About
But One You Must Document and Consider
We don’t know Klundt’s vaccination status. But with over 70% of Americans having received at least one mRNA dose, and most Americans being exposed to COVID itself, it’s highly likely she was exposed to spike protein. And research increasingly shows the spike protein’s role in endothelial damage, clotting disorders, and vascular inflammation—all of which could predispose someone to a dissection, especially in combination with hormone shifts, medications, or underlying autoimmune responses.
And it’s important to remember that spike is spike whether its from the wild form or the injected variety and more and more research is showing the risk related to cardiovascular events and its effects on other body systems. Chiropractors are actually on the front lines of a mass casualty event so heads up.
You don’t have to litigate mRNA risk in your exam room. But you’d better document it if it’s relevant.
CYA: Cover Your Assessment, Always
Triage. Document. Refer When in Doubt.
To avoid becoming the next headline:
Treat every first-time adjustment with fresh eyes—even if the patient’s been seen before.
Don’t skip intake. Ask about surgeries, medications, hormone status, COVID history, and unusual symptoms.
Screen: BP, bruits, cranial nerves, Romberg, gait, and headache patterns.
Document every finding—even “normal” ones.
Refer immediately if there’s any suggestion of dissection risk.
“If your documentation doesn’t show you thought about dissection, you might as well have ignored it.”
Conclusion: Don’t Be the Fall Guy for Their Physiology
Let’s be blunt: chiropractors are an easy target. When someone develops a vascular issue—and they’ve seen a chiropractor in the past month—we are the convenient scapegoat.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. The People magazine story may be sloppy journalism, but it’s still a useful signal. You must own your clinical role, tighten your systems, and understand the real risks—so you don’t end up trying to prove a negative in court.
“Don’t just protect your patients. Protect yourself from the story that gets told when things go wrong.”
At ChiroFutures, we’ve built a comprehensive library of risk management resources—including in-depth articles, expert video briefings, clinical checklists, red flag guides, patient intake updates, and real-world case analyses—all available in our exclusive Members Only section. Unlike other malpractice providers who are just now waking up to the seriousness of these issues, ChiroFutures has been out in front from the beginning, educating our insureds on vertebral artery dissection, post-COVID vascular concerns, and the evolving medicolegal landscape. Our goal has never been just to insure—we’re here to equip you. Access your materials anytime at chirofutures.org.
