A young mother from Missouri has shared the harrowing story of how her life was irrevocably altered after a seemingly harmless activity at an indoor climbing gym and a subsequent visit to a chiropractor resulted in a torn neck artery and five strokes.
A Fateful Jump and a Pinched Nerve
In January 2019, 30-year-old Haley Schoen was enjoying a day out with a friend at an indoor climbing facility. As she had done many times before, she jumped from a height of roughly 15 feet down onto the crash mats below. Upon landing, she experienced a strange sensation in her neck that felt like a pinched nerve, but she dismissed it as insignificant.
The discomfort, however, did not subside. A few days later, a colleague observed that Schoen was walking crooked, and she herself had started to feel numbness in one of her toes. Hoping for a quick solution, she decided to seek treatment from a chiropractor to address what she still believed was a pinched nerve.
The Chiropractic Visit and a Rush of Warning Signs
During her appointment, the practitioner performed several neck manipulations. It was during the third adjustment that Schoen felt an alarming and intense rush of pressure and warmth at the base of her skull. She now recognises these sensations as critical warning signs of a serious injury.
The situation escalated later that week when Schoen suddenly became emotional and disoriented at home, breaking down in tears for no clear reason. Alarmed by this abrupt change, she immediately went to the hospital.
A Shocking Diagnosis and Life-Altering Consequences
Medical imaging at the hospital delivered a devastating diagnosis: a bilateral vertebral artery dissection. This meant she had suffered tears in both of the key arteries that supply blood to the brain. Doctors informed her that these injuries had already triggered four strokes since her initial fall and the chiropractic session. Tragically, she suffered a fifth stroke while in the hospital.
Medical professionals believe the first arterial tear occurred during her jump from the climbing wall, while the subsequent, more severe damage likely happened during or shortly after the chiropractic neck manipulation. The combined injuries disrupted blood flow, causing strokes on both sides of her brain.
Schoen spent a week in the hospital, where she had to relearn how to walk under constant monitoring. After being discharged, she faced a gruelling three-month regimen of daily blood-thinner injections to prevent further clots from forming. The aftermath forced her to stop working and driving, leading to the loss of her home. She was compelled to relocate from her fast-paced life in California, where she worked in high-end real estate, back to Missouri to rebuild her existence.
I went from doing photoshoots and selling multimillion-dollar homes to suddenly learning how to walk again, Schoen explained. I lost everything. It felt like watching all my hard work disappear overnight.
Today, Schoen continues to live with the long-term effects of her strokes, including struggles with depth perception and a heightened susceptibility to feeling overwhelmed. She now uses social media to share her story, aiming to raise awareness about the potential dangers associated with neck manipulations. While she does not oppose chiropractic care outright, she strongly advises against neck adjustments.
Be responsible and speak up, she urges. If something doesn't feel right, don't let anyone touch your neck. It's not worth the chance.
