Michigan Chiropractor Malpractice Lawyer

What Is a Chiropractor?

Chiropractors are health care providers who focus on the diagnosis and treatment of certain neuromuscular conditions. They have a strong emphasis on treating these conditions through chiropractic manipulation and chiropractic adjustments. Their main goal is usually to relieve back, head and neck pain. However, they also aim to improve their patient’s mobility and functionality.

A chiropractor is not considered a medical doctor, but rather a doctor of chiropractic care. The degree they must obtain is on the same level as a medical doctor or PhD degree. Although they are considered physicians, they cannot write prescriptions. They can, however, diagnose and treat certain musculoskeletal conditions.

What Is Chiropractor Malpractice?

As with medical malpractice, chiropractic malpractice involves negligent, illegal, or improper diagnosis or treatment by a chiropractor. Because of the nature of their work, it is extremely important for those in the chiropractic profession to take all necessary precautions to avoid chiropractic injury. Negligent manipulation or chiropractic adjustment could injure a patient or aggravate an existing injury.

Any medical professional who engages in medical malpractice can and should be held accountable for their actions. A medical malpractice attorney with Lipton Law is here to help you fight for your right to just compensation after you are injured from chiropractic treatment.

Why Do People Sue Chiropractors?

Generally, there are two main forms of chiropractic malpractice lawsuits. Injured patients could sue their chiropractor, alleging either negligence or misconduct. This aligns with the two major reasons why people file medical malpractice lawsuits. Exhibiting negligence or providing substandard care is the more common of the two reasons why one might file a chiropractic malpractice lawsuit.

Types of Chiropractor Malpractice

When a chiropractor fails to uphold the standard of medical care expected of them, this could lead to serious injuries for their patients. An injured patient could file a chiropractor malpractice claim for any of the following reasons.

• The chiropractor fails to identify and diagnose a medical condition that requires prompt medical attention. For example, maybe the chiropractor orders an X-ray, and the images show a medical condition. The chiropractor’s failure to diagnose your condition could allow your condition to worsen. They have a duty to promptly diagnose and treat the conditions of their patients so that they don’t make an existing injury worse.
• The chiropractor’s manipulation or adjustment leads to an injury of the patient. Negligent manipulation or adjustment could very easily injure the neck, spine, or back. For example, let’s say your chiropractor is providing cervical manipulative therapy. If performed negligently, this could lead to a chiropractic-induced stroke.
• Other examples of chiropractic malpractice include failure to examine a patient before administering treatment, failing to look at a patient’s medical records and history, failing to order imaging tests, failing to refer patients to a medical doctor, failure to give informed consent, and even failing to offer treatment alternatives.

Do Chiropractors Face Lawsuits Often?

When it comes to chiropractor malpractice cases, are they more common or less common than malpractice cases against other medical professional fields? While these cases are less common than standard medical malpractice suits, chiropractic lawsuits still happen. According to the National Practitioner Data Bank, nearly 6,000 chiropractic malpractice reports were filed between September 1990 and January 2012. California was the state with the highest number of chiropractic malpractice reports, totalling nearly 1,000.

How Common Are Chiropractic Injuries?

In general, injuries from chiropractic treatment are rare. However, these incidences haven’t been as heavily studied and researched as standard medical malpractice cases. Therefore, the true number of chiropractic lawsuits could be higher than we think. One minor mistake during chiropractic treatment could result in devastating consequences for the patient. That’s why our Michigan personal injury lawyers represent those who were injured by their chiropractor’s treatment or their failure to diagnose a serious condition.

The Chiropractic Standard of Care

Just like any other medical professional, chiropractors have a standard of care to uphold during the course of diagnosis and treatment of patients. In general, the standard of care is defined as “what a licensed, reasonable, and competent chiropractor in the same region would do in a similar situation or the same situation.” The expected standard of chiropractic care has been established by years of evidence and study. Therefore, the standard of care you should receive during your chiropractic visit should be the safest and most effective care possible.

What Causes Chiropractor Malpractice?

When a chiropractor fails to uphold the standard of care, this is the root cause of chiropractic malpractice. The way in which chiropractors can exhibit negligence can vary in many ways. For example, chiropractors should always look at your medical history and identify any current or past injuries you have had. This can help them avoid worsening your initial injury.

Additionally, they must explain the process and risks associated with treatments before performing them on their patients. They should also give other treatment options to their patients and encourage them to speak with their doctor before undergoing back or neck manipulation. This allows patients to make informed decisions about their care.

When a chiropractor or any other health care professional fails to do these things, they could be held liable if a patient suffers an injury. Patients also have the right to recover compensation for the losses they suffered as a result of their chiropractor’s negligence. After all, back injuries, neck injuries, and spinal cord injuries often lead to expensive medical bills.

Death and Injuries from Chiropractor Malpractice

Some injuries that result from chiropractic manipulations are very mild, while others can be very serious, even life-threatening. Below, we list some of the chiropractic injuries that we have seen over the years.

• Vertebral artery dissection
• Cervical arterial dissection
• Neck pain
• Strokes
• Herniated discs
• Injuries of the patient’s spine
• Paralysis
• Pinched nerve
• Broken ribs
• Spinal stenosis
• Numbness or tingling in the limbs
• Muscle weakness
• Vertigo
• Bladder and bowel incontinence
• Wrongful death cases

Compensation for Chiropractic Injuries

As a victim of chiropractic malpractice, you deserve to recover compensation for the losses you suffered as a result. Because of the injuries your chiropractor caused, you may have a mountain of medical expenses, and you may be unable to work. When you work with an attorney at Lipton Law, we will fight for the following types of compensation in your case.

• Current and future medical expenses
• Lost wages
• Pain and suffering
• Punitive damages
• Mental and emotional anguish
• Temporary or permanent disability
• Funeral and burial costs in wrongful death cases

How Much Is a Chiropractic Malpractice Case Worth?

This is difficult to determine without first looking at the individual circumstances of your case. Each case is unique, which means we will begin by examining the facts surrounding your case in a free case evaluation before we give an estimate of your case’s worth. Some cases are mild, while others are very serious. Depending on the severity of your injuries and the severity of the mistake that caused them, the values of chiropractor malpractice cases can vary greatly. To better understand your case’s worth, we strongly recommend contacting our law firm and speaking with an experienced malpractice attorney as soon as possible.

Can You Sue for Chiropractor Malpractice in Michigan?

Yes, but you’ll need to prove a few things in order to do so successfully. First, you must show that the chiropractor owed you a duty of care as their patient. You can usually prove this by requesting copies of your medical records from the chiropractic office. Then, you must prove that they breached this duty of care. Testimony from a medical expert, as well as your treatment records will help demonstrate this breach.

Lastly, you need to prove that the breach of the standard of care caused your injury. This is where working with an experienced medical malpractice lawyer really comes in handy. Our attorneys will ensure that your voice is heard, that you get your day in court, and that you receive the compensation you deserve for your injuries.

Do You Need a Michigan Chiropractor Malpractice Lawyer?

At Lipton Law, our medical malpractice lawyers are uniquely qualified to handle many types of medical malpractice, including chiropractic malpractice. Our law office has two nurses on staff who help us identify deviations from the accepted standard of care in your case. If you were injured by a chiropractor or by another medical professional, the attorneys at Lipton Law are here for you. To schedule your free, no-obligation consultation with us, please call our office at 248-557-1688 today.