Katie May, a Los Angeles model and social media star, died last February when her family stopped life support. She had suffered a massive stroke to her brain stem that left her hospitalized. May was only 34 when she died and is survived by her seven-year-old daughter.

However, new reports from Los Angeles assistant chief coroner Ed Winter confirm that May suffered this stroke because she received adjustments from a chiropractor.

Doctors now believe May suffered a vertebral artery dissection during her [chiropractic] adjustments.

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May fell during a photo shoot in January and suffered subsequent neck pain. She visited a chiropractor, who “adjusted” her neck and back, but she still struggled with pain. “It still hurts, going back to the chiropractor tomorrow,” May told her millions of fans on Twitter.

Four days later, she was dead.

Doctors now believe May suffered a vertebral artery dissection during her adjustments — a rip in the lining of the major arteries in the neck. These arteries travel through bony channels in the spine and are prone to tearing during a rapid twisting of the neck.

“The rate of vertebral artery dissections following cervical manipulation has been reported to occur in 1 in 10,000, and chiropractic cervical manipulation has been shown to increase the risk by six- to tenfold of a vertebral artery dissection with stroke,” said Dr. Achal Achrol, director of neurovascular surgery and neurocritical care at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California.

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A 1 in 10,000 chance might not sound like much, but some people might be more predisposed to tearing than others because of an underlying genetic condition that makes their connective tissue weaker than usual. Patients should be wary of painful symptoms following an adjustment from the chiropractor, Dr. Achrol told LifeZette.

“The most important thing is to seek medical attention if you develop symptoms of neck pain, dizziness, vertigo, or difficulty with standing or walking following a recent neck manipulation,” he said.

Seek medical attention if you develop symptoms of neck pain, dizziness, vertigo, or difficulty with standing or walking following a recent neck manipulation.

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However, he also recommends avoiding risk altogether by never allowing “a chiropractor or other practitioner to perform a cervical manipulation involving rapid twisting motions of the neck.”

Chiropractors treat an estimated 30 million patients each year — the highest level of patient care in the United States, after medical doctors and dentists.

Vertebral artery dissection isn’t very common, but physicians recognize it as an increasing problem among people younger than 45.

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Those patients who experience neck pain shouldn’t jump immediately into treatment, advised Dr. Jason Tarpley, stroke neurologist and director of the Stroke and Neurovascular Center at Providence Saint John’s Health Center.

“Generally in medicine, the key is to figure out what is causing the problem rather than jumping straight to treatment,” he said. “There are many causes of neck pain and therefore the first step is to see your primary doctor to look for the cause. If you do get chiropractic manipulation or massage, my recommendation is to have [chiropractors] stay away from your neck.”