Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41736054›Full record

ArticleChiropractic & manual therapies2026

Compensation claims for chiropractic in Denmark 2013-2022.

Amalie Horstmann Nøddeskou-Fink, Martin Skoumann Jørgensen, Jan Hartvigsen, Henrik Wulff Christensen, Mette Jensen Stochkendahl

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Chiropractic & manual therapies, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Amalie Horstmann Nøddeskou-FinkCenter for Muscle and Joint Health, Department of Sport Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark. amalie.f@hotmail.com.ORCID 0000-0001-7431-8597
Martin Skoumann JørgensenCenter for Muscle and Joint Health, Department of Sport Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
Jan HartvigsenCenter for Muscle and Joint Health, Department of Sport Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0002-5876-7410
Henrik Wulff ChristensenChiropractic Knowledge Hub, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0001-8903-0473
Mette Jensen StochkendahlCenter for Muscle and Joint Health, Department of Sport Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0003-0297-8267

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundInjuries sustained during healthcare consultations are a significant concern, and compensation claims relating to injuries in health systems are increasing. Extensive research has addressed injuries in the secondary sector, whereas knowledge about injuries sustained in primary care remains sparse. This retrospective register-based study aimed to describe compensation claims involving chiropractors in Denmark between 2013 and 2022.

methodsAll claims related to chiropractors from 2013 to 2022 were accessed in the Danish Patient Compensation Association Register and analyzed using the Healthcare Complaints Analysis Tool. Data on patient characteristics, injuries, processing time, decisions, appeals, and financial compensation were collected. Claims were categorized as relating to clinical, management, or patient-clinician relationship, alongside nine symptom-based injury classifications. Data relating to cervical artery dissection were examined separately and in greater detail, including information on presenting symptoms, International Classification of Primary Care, Second Edition code recorded by the chiropractor, treatment modalities used, time from treatment to onset of symptoms, and type of vascular injury subsequently diagnosed. Descriptive statistics summarized findings.

resultsA total of 535 chiropractor-related claims were identified, with 519 included for analysis. The number of claims per 100,000 consultations increased from 1.03 in 2013 to 3.57 in 2022. Most claims (84%) concerned treatment outcomes and side effects, primarily worsening of symptoms (23%) or delayed referral (23%). Of the 519 claims, only 32 (6%) were approved for compensation. Cervical artery dissection-related claims had the highest approval rate within category (29%; ~ 0.7 approved claims per million consultations) and accounted for 94% of total financial compensation (14 approved claims, 3,025,000 €).

conclusionCompensation claims related to chiropractic care in Denmark increased between 2013 and 2022, but approval rates remained low. Most claims concerned dissatisfaction with treatment outcome or worsening of symptoms. Cervical artery dissection-related claims had the highest approval rate and accounted for the highest compensation. When approved, they were compensated based on the fairness rule stating that the outcome could neither have been predicted nor expected from patients' individual cases. Better communication between patients and chiropractors about expectations for treatment, natural course of conditions, and expected reactions to treatment will likely reduce the number of claims.

Indexed as

ChiropracticCompensation and RedressMalpracticeManipulation, ChiropracticAdultAgedDenmarkFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRegistriesRetrospective StudiesYoung AdultAdverse eventsCervical artery dissectionChiropracticCompensation claimsHealthcareInjuriesManual therapyPrimary careSide effects

Identifiers

PMID41736054
PMCPMC12931014

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.