Cervical arterial dissection: an overview and implications for manipulative therapy practice

.Cervical arterial dissection (CAD) is a common cause of stroke in young people under 55years. It can occur spontaneously or subsequent to minor trauma or infection. The incidence is difficult to determine accurately as not all CAD progress to stroke. CAD is the most catastrophic adverse event associated with cervical manipulative therapy but it is rare. Early features of CAD can mimic a painful musculoskeletal presentation and a patient may present for treatment of neck pain and headache with a dissection in progress.
Source: Manual Therapy - Category: Physiotherapy Authors: Source Type: research