Woman claims chiropractor tore her artery while cracking neck

LAS VEGAS (WKRC) – A woman claimed a chiropractor tore her artery while cracking her neck during a routine visit.

According to PEOPLE, 41-year-old Carissa Klundt of Las Vegas claims she was left with a torn artery in her neck after a routine adjustment with her chiropractor, which resulted in her being bedridden with “constant pain.”

The Daily Mail reported that Klundt had been struggling with back pain after a procedure to remove breast implants, which she said had made her ill.

Klundt said she had three previous appointments without any issues before a substitute practitioner performed spinal adjustments during a fourth visit, per The Mail. During the visit, the female chiropractor allegedly performed a particular procedure, which caused Klundt to experience a sharp pain in her neck, the publication reported.

“As soon as it happened, I knew something was wrong. You do hear a crack anyway when you get an adjustment but I knew something had gone wrong. There was a pain in my neck. I got home and felt like I was going to throw up,” Klundt said, according to PEOPLE.

Klundt said she initially tried to brush the pain off as a “strained muscle” until her husband urged her to see a doctor after she began “seeing things” and “blacking out,” The Mail reported.

Following a CAT scan, Klundt was diagnosed with a vertebral artery dissection (VAD), per the publication.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, a VAD is “a tear in one or more tissue layers that make up your vertebral artery,” which, in rare cases, can be a “cause of stroke in older adults.”

“I knew straight away that it was from the chiropractor. That’s where the pain all started from,” Klundt said, according to PEOPLE.

Klundt said she was quickly transferred to the ICU of a different hospital after the diagnosis, the publication reported.

“They said I could’ve had a stroke. If I hadn’t gone to (the) hospital, I would’ve had a stroke. I could’ve so easily died,” Klundt said, per PEOPLE. “It traumatized my whole family.”

Klundt, a former fitness and wellness advocate, said she was bedridden for the first month, explaining that she was “pretty much in bed,” “exhausted” and “sleeping for 17 hours a day,” the publication reported.

“I needed help walking. I was in constant pain,” she said, according to PEOPLE.

Klundt said she still feels the side effects nearly three years after the incident.

“It’s a whole lifestyle change. I’ll never ski again, I’ll never go on a rollercoaster. I’m not teaching [fitness] classes anymore. There’s still a residual fear of it happening again. I’m doing well now but it’s been a long recovery process,” Klundt said, per PEOPLE. “My life was really put on pause. I absolutely regret going to the chiropractor. It’s not about blaming anyone, it’s just about spreading more awareness. I want people to understand what the symptoms are and that this is a life-threatening condition.”