Locked-in syndrome explained as man in twenties paralysed after going for neck adjustment with chiropractor
A US man who was left paralysed in his 20s after visiting a chiropractor now suffers from a terrible condition called ‘locked-in syndrome.'
Many people use chiropractors to help them with various spinal and posture ailments.
Through the use of pinpointed ‘cracking’, chiropractors can help to get a lot of people back on track and even reduce pain in certain areas.
However, when Jonathan Buckelew went in for a routine adjustment, he could never have known just what was about to happen to his life.
What happened to Jonathan Buckelew?
Buckelew attended his chiropractor appointment, which triggered a life-threatening medical emergency in October 2015.
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According to his family, his neck adjustment caused significant damage, and as a result, he 'lost every aspect of his life.'
The now 34-year-old underwent a chiropractic neck adjustment and within moments, he suddenly became dizzy, disoriented and unresponsive during the appointment, as per Atlanta News First (ANF).
From there, he was rushed to the North Fulton Hospital in Georgia, but as per court documents, doctors were unable to diagnose the underlying issue.
What is now known is that medics missed the fact that Buckelew was suffering from a severe brain stem stroke, and the man lost crucial time to stop the damage.
The brain stem is ‘a crucial area of the brain that controls movement and other vital body functions’, according to the Stroke Association.
One whole day passed before his condition was recognised, but by then, he was suffering from locked-in syndrome, a rare neurological disorder.
What is locked-in syndrome?
Locked-in syndrome essentially paralyses a person, leaving the sufferer conscious but unable to move or communicate verbally, except via eye movements.
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, ‘locked-in syndrome is a rare disorder of the nervous system’, which can be caused by a variety of issues.
A person with locked-in syndrome may know what is happening around them but will not be able to move or communicate.
There is also no cure for the condition.
For someone who suffered from a brain stem stroke, it has a significant impact as every nerve impulse to and from the body goes through the brain stem, and a stoke in this area can lead to breathing difficulties and coma.
Stoke Association states: “The brain stem controls some of the body's automatic functions such as sleep, awareness, breathing and blood pressure. It also controls movement. If a stroke happens in the part of the brain stem that controls movement, it's possible for the person to keep awareness but not be able to move.”
The man’s lawyer, Lloyd Bell, explained: "Jonathan was having a stroke when he came to the hospital, and they missed it. The people who were responsible for reading the radiographs misread it.
"The ER doctor saw this patient was having all these signs and symptoms of stroke and never called a stroke alert, and they had policies in place that they were supposed to follow certain protocols to reach the correct diagnosis, and they didn't follow their policies and procedures."
After the syndrome was diagnosed, his family launched legal proceedings against the chiropractor, the hospital, Dr. Matthew Womack, radiologist James Waldschmidt, and the on-call neurologist Christopher Nickum for missing the signs.
What can cause locked-in syndrome?
As per the Neurological Disorders and Stroke, locked-in syndrome may be caused by a traumatic brain injury, a disease of the circulatory system, any diseases which destroy the myelin sheath (a protective covering that surrounds nerve cells), or a medication overdose.
A person with the syndrome will need 24-hour care and cannot take care of their own basic needs.
In Buckelew’s case, a jury at a Fulton County state court found that Womack and Waldschmidt had been 'grossly negligent' when failing to diagnose his condition, resulting in him being awarded $75 million in damages.
It was also noted that Womack had not told Nickum that the man had visited a chiropractor that day or that he had experienced two seizure-like events.
The radiologist also missed key information on scans, as per ANF.
However, the chiropractor, the hospital, and its staff were not found liable for his locked-in syndrome.
"I really feel like there's no real justice for somebody who lost every aspect of his life," his father, Jack Buckelew, said.
"We're just focusing on what can we do now; how can we keep him as happy as possible; and how can we give him the best life possible."
Britt Jones