Cervical Spine Fracture Following Non-authorized Manipulation: A case report

ABSTRACT

We present a case of 5th cervical spine (C5) body fracture following cervical spine manipulation. The patient was an 18 year-old girl. She visited a non-authorized manipulation practitioner because of her shoulder pain. At that time she had no neck pain. During manipulation, the practitioner turned her neck suddenly with strong force, then she felt sudden neck pain. A fracture of the C5 body was identified in magnetic resonance images of the cervical spine. We should be aware of the risk of serious complications associated with chiropractic manipulation.