Improper neck manipulation leads to thoracic outlet syndrome

Settlement on behalf of massage therapy client who developed thoracic outlet surgery requiring surgery after undergoing a massage therapy treatment. In violation of Massachusetts law limiting the types of manipulations that massage therapists can perform, the massage therapist performed an abrupt cracking of the client’s neck at the end of the massage. Later that day, the client developed radiating pain through her arms, ultimately was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, and underwent a complex surgery to improve her symptoms. The case settled after two failed mediations and just before the case was set to be tried in Middlesex Superior Court.