Gym-Goer, 29, Dies After Getting Her Neck Adjusted by Chiropractor: ‘Tragic Case’

A 29-year-old woman in the U.K. died after she “felt a crack to her neck” and sought out medical attention from a chiropractor to treat her neck pain, per a Gateshead and South Tyneside Coroner prevention of future deaths report. The coroner is now advising the General Chiropractic Council to implement new rules to prevent similar deaths.

Joanna Kowalczyk first suffered an arterial dissection after she injured her neck during a September 2021 personal training session. (An arterial dissection “is a tear along the inside lining of an artery and can occur in a child's head, neck, or spine,” per Boston’s Children’s Hospital.)

On Oct. 19, 2021, Kowalczyk died "of the consequences of chiropractic treatment" combined with a stroke and her undiagnosed arterial dissection, assistant coroner Leila Benyounes reported on Jan. 22, 2025. At the time of her death, "the ambulance service found that there was a failure in communications made by the paramedic crew on 10/17/21," but Benyounes wrote that "this did not cause or contribute to the death."

After she heard her neck crack, she visited the hospital accident and emergency department. She was administered a CT scan, and medics advised she receive a lumbar puncture to eliminate the possibility of a hemorrhage. However, she declined, “self-discharged” from the hospital and opted for chiropractic therapy.

She informed the chiropractor that she received a CT scan during her hospital visit. However, the unnamed chiropractor did not acquire her previous medical records before beginning her four-week treatment. During a later session, on Oct. 16, 2021, she felt immediate symptoms of dizziness, vomiting, double vision, tingling in her right hand and foot, and struggles to speak.

Related: Playboy Model Katie May Died After Chiropractor Ruptured an Artery in Her Neck, Coroner Says

The chiropractor initially suspected Kowalczyk was having a stroke and performed a FAST test. However, the test was negative, and her symptoms improved. The chiropractor then brought in another chiropractor for a second opinion. Both chiropractors advised her to go to the hospital, but she did not comply. Her partner took her home and helped her walk.

After she left, and although she did not go to the hospital, she was treated by paramedics later that day. The emergency responders diagnosed her with a migraine because “symptoms of dizziness and migraine were normal after the chiropractic treatment,” and her second FAST test was negative.

Despite both negative FAST tests, Kowalczyk did suffer from a stroke. “The attending paramedic was not aware that symptoms of stroke could stop after a short period of time,” per the death report. Benyounes reported that if “the paramedic observed and recorded [her] inability to mobilize unaided, [Kowalczyk] would have been assessed as FAST positive and transported to hospital" on Oct. 16, 2021.

The next day, the paramedics attended to her again, and because she had a “reduced level of consciousness," another FAST test could not be performed. She was taken in the ambulance to Queen Elizabeth Hospital and, en route, required intubation and ventilation.

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There, a CT scan identified a maturing obstruction of the tissue blood supply near the base of her skull. A CT angiogram identified “left vertebral artery dissection,” and specialists said there was no treatment available. She died two days later, on Oct. 19, 2021.

Benyounes advised that the General Chiropractic Council (GCC) create rules requiring chiropractors to examine a patient’s medical history before treatment. The report was also sent to the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS), and they were both given until April 25 to respond.

"I am concerned that consideration to obtaining medical records should always be given before assessment, particularly where recent medical treatment or investigations has been undertaken," Benyounes wrote.

"In my opinion action should be taken to prevent future deaths and I believe you have the power to take such action," she continued.

The GCC told the BBC it would consider the coroner's concerns and sent its thoughts to Kowalczyk's family. "We expect chiropractors to provide good quality care that is patient-centred, safe and effective," the GCC added.

The NEAS called Kowalczyk's death a "tragic case" and sent condolences to her family. Paramdeics were trained to "recognise stroke symptoms and react accordingly," the NEAS told the BBC. The NEAS also said it did its own investigation, which supported the "clinical decision-making and care plan of the paramedic."

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