Following on the heels of two recent high-profile incidents in Canada involving chiropractic patients,1,2 the Alberta Society of Radiologists (ASR) has passed a unanimous and unilateral motion recommending that all Alberta radiologists refuse to give children under the age of 18 x-rays when requested by a chiropractor.
The audacity of the society's proclamation was greeted with astonishment and frank bewilderment by chiropractors in Canada and the U.S.3
The ASR's motion is meaningless in a legal context, but is a flagrant, discriminatory proclamation reminiscent of the 1994 11-point statement of 13 Canadian pediatricians denouncing chiropractic treatment of children.4 It is also recalls to memory the AMA's Committee on Quackery, whose two-prong mission was to contain and then eliminate the chiropractic profession.
Dynamic Chiropractic has made numerous attempts to attain a copy of the resolution passed at the ASR's meeting, as have newspapers in Calgary and Edmonton. As of press time, the society has been unwilling to comply with that request, failing to return phone calls and facsimiles for information, nor have they been willing to disclose any evidence that gives credence to their decision.
The ASR has defended its action by citing a recent statement from the chiefs of several Canadian pediatric hospitals which said that there is no benefit to children from x-rays ordered by chiropractors.
Calgary radiologist Dr. Marvin Levant said the "recent tragedies" of the chiropractic patients1,2 "reaffirm the decision" made by the society, leaving chiropractors truly perplexed about how those events coincide with denying x-rays for children.
Dr. Levant also trotted out the insipid medical scare tactic, which the Calgary Sun dutifully printed, that "neck adjustments can tear the vertebral arteries which supply blood to the brain," an event that apparently most often occurs in hair salons when the customer's head is placed in extension over a sink to wash the scalp. Dr. Levant also remonstrated against taking too many x-rays, analogous to a politician inveighing against raising taxes.
"The Alberta Society of Radiologists cannot direct its members to refuse to accept requests for consultation and diagnostic imaging on children from chiropractors," bluntly rebuked Allen Halowski, DC, president of the College of Chiropractors of Alberta.
Dr. Halowksi dismissed the society's proclamation as a political maneuver. "We don't take x-rays just for the sake of taking x-rays," he emphasized. "Seven out of 10 times we don't x-ray children who come to see us."
Grayden Bridge, DC, Alberta governor of the Canadian Chiropractic Association, expressed his puzzlement over why the society would take such a position. "If they have any scientific evidence to support this position we would love to see it," Dr. Bridge challenged in an interview with the Alberta Lethbridge Herald. Dr. Bridge's said the society's proclamation was "one more example of the misunderstandings that have traditionally arisen because of the lack of communication between the medical and chiropractic professions,"4 a considerably more measured and diplomatic reaction than that of many chiropractors.
Dr. Bridge asserted that denying x-rays for chiropractic patients puts patients at risk. "I would expect that x-rays would be part of prudent diagnostic testing, whether it is a chiropractor or a medical doctor who is providing the service."
Footnotes
When sports chiropractors first appeared at the Olympic Games in the 1980s, it was alongside individual athletes who had experienced the benefits of chiropractic care in their training and recovery processes at home. Fast forward to Paris 2024, where chiropractic care was available in the polyclinic for all athletes, and the attitude has now evolved to recognize that “every athlete deserves access to sports chiropractic."
It is estimated that 61% of patients with CTS avoid taking surgical options due to postoperative complications and costly surgical procedures. Chiropractic care offers a comprehensive and effective treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome, addressing the condition from multiple angles. Recent studies also have unveiled a game-changing adjunct to chiropractic treatments for CTS: nerve flossing.
Some doctors thrive in a personality-based clinic and have a loyal following no matter what services or equipment they offer, but for most chiropractic offices who are trying to grow and expand, new equipment purchases help us stay relevant and continue to service our client base in the best, most up-to-date manner possible. So, regarding equipment purchasing: should you lease, get a bank loan, or pay cash?
