There are other professions that have a similar protective action in place. Attorneys carry what is known as "errors and omissions insurance" to protect themselves from a mistake that causes harm to a client. Whether intentional or accidental, when clients or patients get hurt, they look for a pay-day. Quite often they are looking for a BIG pay-day.



When a patient visits a chiropractor, the first thing the patient signs is a release. One thing included in the release is to be held harmless in case there is damage to some pouches of tissue in the back of the neck. Why this particular clause? Damage to this area can result in the patient suffering a stroke. It might not appear for a day or two, but quite surprisingly, after the treatment (or adjustment) the patient can suffer headaches and other aches and pains that occur with no apparent cause.



A waiver will help to prevent malpractice suits. If the patient has no right to sue, odds are that no attorney will take the case. One such patient was hospitalized and after three days of running tests, the doctors did not identify the problem. The person that figured it out was his significant other of over ten years. While helping him to the bathroom, she thought he was exaggerating his problems and told him to stop with the "stroke shuffle." A light bulb went off and she immediately told the doctors to check him for evidence of a stroke. Indeed, that was the problem. Caused by a chiropractic adjustment a week prior, but in finding that he had previously waived his right to take action against the chiropractor, he had no recourse. This is not to say that all chiropractors make this mistake and harm this tissue, but it serves to point out that you should choose your medical professionals carefully, performing your own due diligence on their practice, references, history of complaints, etc. It is unknown if chiropractors must maintain malpractice insurance or not, since as a general rule, you have waived your right to sue them during your first visit.