28-Year-Old Woman Critically Paralyzed After Visiting Chiropractor For Neck Adjustment

Savannah, Georgia -- A 28-year-old woman was left paralyzed following a visit to her chiropractor last month for a neck adjustment, her family told local media.

Caitlin Jensen is currently in an ICU after the trip to the chiropractor left her with four dissected arteries in her neck.

Jensen had visited a chiropractor on June 16 in Savannah, Georgia, for an adjustment to her neck. However, she got sick and was rushed to the emergency room, WJCL reported. She needed to be revived after losing her pulse for more than 10 minutes, media reports said.

“That morning we were up and talking to her before work. You’re talking to her and then 30 minutes later, she’s in the hospital and now in the ICU,” her brother, Caleb Johnson, told WJCL.

Tests revealed dissected arteries, which led to a cardiac arrest and stroke shortly after her session, followed by brain swelling and a traumatic brain injury.

Jensen is currently in a critical condition, and she can only blink her eyes, wiggle the toes on her right foot, and lightly squeeze their hands, according to 7News.

Darlene Jensen, Caitlin’s mother, told WSBTV's Channel 2 Action News her daughter’s doctors believe the injury was a direct result of the neck adjustment.

“The surgeon that performed the surgery on her that saved her life, and every other doctor that has looked at her, have all agreed that this happened as a direct result of the neck manipulation,” Jensen said. “The chiropractor called 911 and then called me and told me that she was ‘having a reaction to the treatment.’”

The cause of Caitlyn’s injury has not been officially determined.

Jensen’s family have started a GoFundMe page to raise funds for future rehabilitation and therapy. As of early Wednesday, the page received $38,277 in donations of the $100,000 goal.

"Caitlin is currently conscious and able to respond to verbal commands by blinking her eyes, as well as wiggling her the toes of her left foot. However, the rest of her body sits in a state of paralysis due to the injury. Caitlin has a long road to recovery, and as a college student who has a very simple health care plan, she will need significant financial resources to get her through this road to recovery," the organizer of the fundraiser wrote.