Patient with signs and symptoms of myocardial infarction presenting to a chiropractic office: a case report

A 53-year-old female presented to a chiropractic office with signs and symptoms of heart attack (myocardial infarction). Although she was complaining of neck and upper back pain, the cause of her condition was due to an incident of acute myocardial infarction (MI). Other than anterior chest pain, patients with MI could experience pain over lower jaw and teeth, both arms, shoulders, neck, upper back and epigastrium. Recognizing the possible underlying cause of the patient’s complaints, and directing them toward the appropriate venues of therapy is essential. Due to the fact that heart attacks are underestimated in women within a certain age group, their detection is also less frequent. To emphasize this fact, presentation, incidence, epidemiology, examination, laboratory findings, and risk factors for the myocardial infarction (MIs) are discussed in this paper. (JCCA 2001; 45(1):35–41)