Rhabdomyalysis / Naprapath

[Zippee123]

What is the name of your state?
IL
My husband had naprapathic treatment in an effort to relieve hip/back pain. Shortly after 2 treatments with very aggressive muscle manipulation, my husband's health began deteriorating. Severe gout attack, infection, dehydration, muscular breakdown, kidney failure, dialysis, more infection and eventual death. I am convinced that this naprapath triggered a series of events which led to my husband's eventual death. I am having trouble researching this issue. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Feebchick]

Zippee-

I'm very sorry for your loss. How was your husband's general health? What was his age? What was the initial cause of the hip and back pain?

 

[Zippee123]

General health was not great. Hip/ back problem had never been properly diagnosed. Occasionally he got relief from Chiropractor. Diabetic, cabg x 3 in '95. It is just that after the naprapathic treatments, this very deep tissue manipulation, his body went nuts. Rhabdo was diagnosed after an emergency hospitalization. Within months his muscle mass was gone.

 

[rmet4nzkx]

I'm sorry for your loss, but your husband was in bad health already for years. Diabetes has many implications for poor prognisis. Did your husband have a problem with cholesterol? What medications did he take? What has his PCP stated as to responsibility for your husband's poor health or any negligence? Feeling a provider is responsible because of demise following treatment does not prove it is the cause.

 

[ellencee]

In order to have a claim of negligence resulting in significant damages/injury, the negligent entity must have known or should have known that by allowing "x" to happen, significant damages/injury would occur. How would the deep tissue massage provider have known or be held to 'should have known' that by providing deep tissue massage to this person, who is a frequent chiropractic patient, that the person would develop rhabdo. and die?

I don't doubt that the deep tissue massage either started the process or increased the process. I doubt the outcome was foreseeable and preventable or the result of negligence of any kind.

EC

 

[Zippee123]

Perhaps then, that is why the Naprapath asked no signifigant questions about his medical history. Ignorance is a cloak of protection and puts $80 cash in his pocket each time. Isn't there a responsibility, and don't we count on the medical community to make proper inquiry before administering treatment? Bombarding his kidney (1) with protein from broken down muscle tissue caused a rapid deterioration in my husbands health. I am convinced he cost my husband a couple of years of life. Huge.

 

[ellencee]

Perhaps then, that is why the Naprapath asked no signifigant questions about his medical history. Ignorance is a cloak of protection and puts $80 cash in his pocket each time. Isn't there a responsibility, and don't we count on the medical community to make proper inquiry before administering treatment? Bombarding his kidney (1) with protein from broken down muscle tissue caused a rapid deterioration in my husbands health. I am convinced he cost my husband a couple of years of life. Huge.

Rhabdo is a freaky thing. I don't believe it is predictable or even suspected as a potential outcome except in severe injuries such as the person's being crushed in an auto accident or in a significant fall, like off a cliff or out of a high tree. If it's not predictable in the deep massage therapy setting and can't be foreseen by providing deep massage, it isn't negligence and there is no basis for a negligence claim.

I have a close friend in Houston TX who is a deep massage therapist. I'll send him an email and ask if Rhabdo is an outcome on which he was educated and if evaluating a patient's health should indicate if the person is at risk for developing Rhabdo. I can not foresee how quickly he'll respond; but as soon as he does, I'll post his answer.

EC

 

[rmet4nzkx]

Perhaps then, that is why the Naprapath asked no signifigant questions about his medical history. Ignorance is a cloak of protection and puts $80 cash in his pocket each time. Isn't there a responsibility, and don't we count on the medical community to make proper inquiry before administering treatment? Bombarding his kidney (1) with protein from broken down muscle tissue caused a rapid deterioration in my husbands health. I am convinced he cost my husband a couple of years of life. Huge.

Can you answer the questions about cholerterol and other medications as this may have some bearing on your husband's risk? Who refered him for this treatment?

 

[Zippee123]

Sorry. Cholesterol good. Triglycerides a little high. A blood pressure med to control heart rate, insulin and furosemide. He got so bad the first time, he was hallucinating. Several medical teams from Loyola Medical Center were trying to figure out what was wrong with him. Steroids provided an overnite improvement.

 

[panzertanker]

The NIH do not list deep muscle/tissue massage as an idicator for possible rhabdomyolosis:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000473.htm

 

[rmet4nzkx]

The NIH do not list deep muscle/tissue massage as an idicator for possible rhabdomyolosis:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000473.htm

And that's why I asked about health and medications, the answers opened up a number of possibilities.