Headaches, Red Flags, and Cervical Artery Dissections

Cervical artery dissection is a common source of stroke in young adults that has been associated with chiropractic manipulation. This interactive, 60-minute lecture will equip learners with relevant, up-to-date headache information that is immediately applicable in the clinical setting. Learners will engage in an active discussion centered around a peer-reviewed cervical artery dissection case study. Discussion topics will include patient history, examination, diagnosis, treatment, dissection etiology, dissection management, and chiropractic manipulation’s relationship to cervical artery dissection. At the conclusion of the lecture, learners will be able to describe common carotid and vertebral artery dissection presentations, identify headache red flags and understand the reasons for their occurrence, describe common primary headache presentations, differentiate dissections from other headache sources, and properly manage a dissection in progress.

 Learning Objectives:

Objective 1: Describe the typical carotid artery dissection presentation

Objective 2: Describe the typical vertebral artery dissection presentation

Objective 3: Identify headache red flags and understand the reasons for their occurrence

Objective 4: Describe common primary headache presentations

Objective 5: Differentiate dissections from other headache sources and manage dissections in progress

Hourly Breakdown:

• •5 minutes: Topic Relevance
• •20 minutes: Pathology & Diagnosis
• •25 minutes: Interactive Case Study Discussion 

This course is presented as part of the ACA Engage 2026 educational programming. 

This course is worth 1 CE credit in ACA-approved and PACE-accepted states. CEUs have been applied for in California, Florida, Georgia, and Texas. 

View a list of accepted and approved states. 

PACE ID: IP124263