Article content continued

Long before her acupuncture mishap, Ms. Ribble-Orr had extensive experience with the health-care system.

Her various injuries — both from judo and other mishaps — included a dislocated elbow and shoulder, a broken hand, head injuries and repeated knee injuries that threatened to end her career shortly before the Sydney Olympics in 2000. She also suffered a dislocated jaw in the run-up to the Games, but still managed to compete.

By mid-2006, Ms. Ribble-Orr was moving into the fast-developing sport of mixed-martial arts, while also eyeing a police job, and recovering from a car accident. She had already seen Mr. Spurrell five times when she visited him on June 21, complaining particularly of pounding headaches.

He convinced her he could curb the head pain by inserting a two-inch needle into a muscle located between the clavicle bone and ribs, the discipline ruling said.

Shortly after leaving the clinic, Ms. Ribble-Orr began having difficulty breathing, chest pain and a “grinding” sensation. She returned to the therapist later, wondering if she had suffered a pneumothorax. He told her it was more likely a muscle spasm, but said she could go to the hospital if she felt it was more serious or if the symptoms worsened.

The next morning, she did feel worse and finally headed to the emergency department. Ms. Ribble-Orr’s lung had indeed collapsed and she spent the next two weeks in hospital, as a serious lung infection and then a blood infection followed. She was left with just 55% function in one lung.

Mick Orr, her husband, said this week that he remembers how his wife had such powerful lungs before the acupuncture mishap that she could blow out a candle from across the room.

Now, she gets breathless climbing stairs, and frequently uses a puffer.

Complicating matters are hallucinations and other neurological symptoms that some doctors believe were caused or exacerbated by the post-acupuncture infections, and others say are due to the earlier car accident.

National Post

tblackwell@nationalpost.com